Thirst
by xxxSerinaxxx
Summary: Kyoya Ootori has a strange secret, but when Haruhi finds it out, everything changes...
1. Chapter 1

**I thought to write something for ' _Kyoya is a vampire_ ' trope. I wanted to post this after I would finish "The cunning", but my impatience got ahead of me, and I really wanted to share it with you all and see if you like it, and if it is actually worth giving a try. I am sure there are other stories with this trope, but I wanted to try one myself, and the idea lingered in my head and demanded to be written. **

* * *

It was cold. The air had frozen and curved its flowery breath on the thin surface of the glass windows. His body was cold and, perhaps, far colder than the snow outside. He liked dreary winter days when there was no sun in the sky, and he didn't need to hide in the shadows. He liked cold because he didn't need to hide from it. He looked at the glacial patterns, covering the window and blinked lazily. He was hungry and tired: like he always was. He had never felt quite satisfied. His body was weak and was already breaking into pieces even though he was very young.

"Kyoya-sama," a maid timidly had spoken, popping her small head through the half-opened door, "your father had requested your presence at breakfast."

She looked terrified. Her body was shivering. He could smell her fear. He could sense the terror surging in her blood. He already was used to that reaction. Everyone feared him, especially those who knew his secret. He nodded silently, and the girl disappeared as fast as she could.

He hated mornings. He hated them because the sun was rising in the mornings, and he hated the ultraviolet waves it brought with itself. His skin would burn in pain if any of those rays reached him. When the first time he had experienced the sunlight touching him, he had thought he truly was being burnt alive. It was a real torture. He wanted to peel away his own skin, just not to feel the pain. He found it odd when he realized his skin hadn't burnt, even though it felt it did. These special type of radiation waves were invisible to humans and were hardly harmful to them, but they were horrendous torture for animals like him.

In summer days, there were thick, navy blue curtains cladding the vast windows of his bedroom to absorb all the light, but in winter time, the cold closed the windows itself, and he could enjoy being in an illuminated room without risking to feel tortured.

He got dressed in his school uniform, fixed his raven hair, put on his glasses, that were supposed to serve as a distraction from his eyes and protect them from the light. He couldn't wear sunglasses at school, so he had to settle for the fake prescription glasses. People rarely searched for his eyes anyways. It was good enough.

He hated mornings for he had to sit at a family table and try to have breakfast like the rest of his normal family.

He hated it with all his might. He hated the food, and he hated how he was throwing up later on everything he had eaten. Despite no longer being able to consume ordinary food, his father was insistent on him having breakfast with them. He didn't know why the old man punished him like that. He didn't want to be the way he was. He had inherited a rare family gene. It was a recessive gene and hadn't been observed active for the last 200 years. He was sure the DNA sequence of the said mutation was present in all the family members, but it was in a dormant state for them. Only he was born with active gene trait, and he couldn't do anything about it.

In the beginning, when he was younger, he could still consume ordinary human food. But then gradually his body started to change, and with age, it became more and more difficult to eat. His digestive organs had completely deteriorated. His body needed a different type of sustenance, something both his parents were reluctant to accept. They forced him to eat over and over again, and every morning he ended up puking the food his body wasn't able to break and digest. He couldn't just get any nourishment from food.

They tried to use animal blood. He ended up having a strong allergic reaction and couldn't even move for a week, until it was cleared from his system. Human blood―that was what he needed, and that was what was forbidden. He was raised as a human. He was raised as something he wasn't, and his morals were in conflict with his desire to survive. Yoshio Ootori ended up giving him blood from the hospital. So very little blood that only burned his desires. They kept forcing him to eat human food, as if thinking it will somehow create a digestive system for him. Quite frankly he didn't know why they were forcing him.

His great-great-grandfather was a doctor. He had been infected with a strange disease and had tried to cure it by very curious means, which resulted in him turning into what humans called a vampire―a blood-drinker. Kyoya Ootori was a vampire; the only one in his family.

Because of this, his father looked at him as if he was some burden, some family disappointment, something that they needed to hide and never show to anyone. He was the dirty secret the Ootori family had. And every morning he was reminded of that simple truth at a family table. He hated himself, he hated his miserable existence, his constant desire to feed and his growing hunger.

He walked down the stairs and went into the large drawing room. The maids were running away from him like he was going to grab them and murder him. He didn't know to laugh or pity himself. He was feeling too weak for food today. He didn't want to go through another episode of gagging, puking and retching. He felt very tired. He was so lifeless, he might as well just be a walking corpse. His heart was beating slower and slower. There wasn't much blood in his system to keep his heartbeats steady.

When he entered the room, his mother lifted her head to give him a concerned look. He knew that she felt sorry for him and that made him angry. He didn't want their pity, their fear or their sympathy. All he wanted was to be treated like others. He wanted to be seen just the way others were viewed. Even though he studied the best at school, always got the best marks and surpassed his elder brothers in their academic achievements, he was looked down, felt sorry for and ignored.

His mother always looked sad, mournful. She looked at him apologetically, as if she was guilty of the way he was born. He always wanted to see a smile on her face when she would look at him. He wanted her to smile at him, just the way she could smile at Akito or Yuuichi. His mother thought he was the ugly duckling―the odd one, and she felt pity and guilt for him.

"Can I excuse myself today?" he asked after a polite bow, daring a glance at his father, "I am not feeling well."

"Ootoris have more will and determination," was all his father muttered. When his mother gently stroked her husband's hand, Yoshio added reluctantly, "you can leave if you must."

Kyoya clenched the hems of his jacket and politely bowed, taking his seat at the table. His father's face remained indifferent. And foolishly he thought he would impress him if he stayed. The next thirty minutes passed like hell. He had looked down the toilet so many times for the last few months, he already was used to ending up there, emptying the harsh rough food, that wounded his throat.

He never felt cold. At least not the way others did, he suspected. They needed to dress into so many clothes and had to rub their hands all the time and didn't like touching the snow. He didn't feel cold. It was soft and tender and welcoming for him. He always wondered what was it like to feel cold. He would have asked his brothers, but they rarely stopped to talk to him. They didn't exactly fear him, but they felt awkward and strange around him―uneasy even.

"Kyoya-sama," the old bodyguard smiled at him and handed him a small parcel, "Yoshio-sama asked me to give it to you."

He blinked at the man and then nodded, accepting the parcel. He knew that Tachibana-san was looking after him. He knew that the man would frequently tell his father about his worsening condition. Sometimes he wanted to spill his heart to the man, but _Ootoris had more will and determination_.

He gulped the small content in the plastic tube. His heartbeat grew faster, and his pale cheeks turned slightly blush. He could feel how energy started to burst in him, but it was not enough. It was not enough, and he was getting weaker.

The car had parked near the school gates. The yard was cleaned from snow, but there were a lot of icy tubes hanging from the roofs of the Ouran Academy. They glistered in the dreary morning light. They looked sharp and dangerous, even though they were just frozen water drops. They were just like his fangs―acute, threatening, but in reality were just made of something normal and ordinary. He never smiled. He still remembered the hysterical sobbing of a little girl in the kindergarten, who had noticed his fangs and wanted to touch them.

Kyoya had thought back then that it was nice that someone wanted to touch his strange teeth, the ones that only he had and no one else did. But it ended so very badly, when the sharp spikes had cut into the girls flesh as she pressed them harshly against his fangs. Yoshio had lectured him for hours and ordered him to never show them to anyone. It became part of his personality not to smile. He could only stare at people blankly and coldly or give them a small smirk that didn't involve him opening his mouth.

The school was loud as usual. There was the Tamaki Suoh―everyone's favourite. He hated the light-haired boy with all his heart. Not only was he the only heir to his father, but he was shining like a ball of sunlight since he appeared in the Ouran a year ago. The girls were swooning over him, and everyone was generally finding him charming. He was an annoying idiot, and Kyoya couldn't stand the likes of him. He would smile at him all the time, greet him and generally try to be an annoying, obnoxious idiot. He had made a small club since the year had started and recruited all kinds of idiots from Ouran. The twit had tried to get him into his silly club, but Kyoya refused. He couldn't be part of anything like that, not only his father wouldn't approve of it, but also he couldn't pretend to be swaying girls, for who he had no interest.

He greeted him with a flashing smile as usual, and Kyoya curtly bowed and took his seat next to Megumi Kanoya. She was a quiet girl, with long, sleek hair who found her gratification in helping others. Kyoya felt comfortable, sitting next to her, because he couldn't smell her. It appeared as if she didn't have blood, which was strange, but he was glad he could sit in the class without getting distracted by the smell of someone's blood. That was another reason he hated Tamaki Suoh. He smelled really good―sweet and inviting. It was disturbing whenever he was close, and Kyoya had to ran away from the blonde idiot not to get swayed by his smell.

The teacher soon entered, and everyone stood up to bow and greet. The class went calmly, boringly. His essay had scored the highest points, Suoh was right after him. It didn't appear he studied very hard. But he did quite well at school. After all, he was chairman's son, and Kyoya guessed that much, at least, was expected from him.

Kyoya hated breaks. He hated them, because he didn't know where to disappear. He couldn't stand seeing others eating. He couldn't stand any of it any longer.

"Kyoya-kun," he heard Suoh's voice, who decided to grant himself the permission to address him informally, "would you like to join us for lunch. You always sit alone."

"Thank you, Suoh-san," he said indifferently, but with a reserved bow, "I am busy unfortunately. I need to visit the library."

Tamaki's face fell, and the bright smile disappeared from his lips. Kyoya almost felt smug about making the idiot unhappy, but then he turned and left, and emptiness and loneliness stayed with him. He walked slowly. He didn't want to get to the library so soon. He wanted to savor his time. Some daft bints had turned the library into a cafeteria, anyways. He didn't want to smell the nasty smell of their awful perfume and the putrid odor of the decaying food in their stomachs. Smells drove him crazy. Especially the smell of those who had just started to digest the food they had eaten. It was a real nightmare when he would smell something bad, but it was even worse when his nostrils would meet with some sweet cherishing smell of blood.

When he entered the library, he realized there was something new. Some new smell he hadn't smelled before. It was sweet, fresh and satisfying. He concentrated his senses, trying to find the owner of the smell. He had never ever smelled anything like that. It felt soft. It felt like a gentle stroking to his senses. It calmed his nerves and put his mind at ease. He looked around. Where was it? Who was it? Why did they smell so good? He was going to faint. The smell of something so satisfying being so close weakened his body, and he could see black spots in front of his eyes. He was losing his consciousness. He had bleached if it was possible for him to be anymore paler.

The smell suddenly got very closer, but he was too faint to see anything. He felt someone's warm hand on his shoulder. It felt strange.

"Are you alright?" a clear, female voice asked.

He used all of his strength to turn to face her. His eyes widened. It was her. It was her smell. She was a small girl, with short, badly cut hair and ugly clothing. She smelled good. She smelled strangely good. He looked at her shocked and tried not to inhale her smell. He could feel her blood flowing in her veins.

"I..." he hesitated, "I am alright, Miss."

"You don't look so well," she smiled, "I am sorry for insisting, but are you sure you don't want to visit the nurse's office?"

Her voice was clean. It was soft. Her flesh looked soft too. He wanted to lean forward and grab her. He wanted to pierce his fangs in her creamy skin and drink her. She looked so sweet. She smelled so sweet. His face twisted into a disgusted expression as the thoughts passed through his head. Her heart was so close. He wanted to reach and touch her chest, behind which her sweet little heart was beating.

"It must be fatigue," he said absentmindedly, "I didn't sleep long enough. Thank you for your concern, Miss."

He would laugh to see the expression of pure terror on her pretty face, once she found out what he was. She wouldn't look so concerned. And why was she bothering anyways? Who was she? Didn't she already know that Ootori Kyoya was the ice cold, pale guy, who was better to be avoided.

"Yes," she said, waving her hands, "it's quite loud here. You must have exhausted yourself, trying to concentrate on studying. I still am trying to find a quiet spot for studying."

He looked at her with interest. She wanted to study. That was unusual for someone attending Ouran. Girls usually came to start flashy connections and set grounds for their future marriages. She was different, too simple and alive. Her smell was driving him insane. He was scared if he inhaled more of her essence, he would just snap and drink her blood in front of everyone.

"I am sorry," he apologized, "I need to go."

He ran away like a coward. _Ootoris had more will and determination._ His father's words echoed in his head. Ootoris, perhaps, didn't run away, but he was not an Ootori, he was a weak, starved beast that lusted after the blood of a girl he just met. He wanted to drag her by the hair to the nearest corner and drink her blood, until nothing of her but an empty shell, a lifeless, dry husk was left. He was a pitiful animal, hiding behind the mask of a human. Nothing more than a leech, who couldn't make his own food.

When he got far away from her and could no longer smell her treacherous smell, his weakened knees buckled. He sat on the ground, undid his tie and cupped his face. How long could he survive like this? If he was not born, his father would be a proud father of three brilliant children. His mother wouldn't cry and look guilty. His siblings wouldn't have to have a freak for a brother. He was a mistake. Mistake the mother nature made, one that was romanticized and thought beautifully about only in books. In real life he was a parasite, a disgusting monster, drinking human blood.

He stared at his snow-coloured hands. They felt numb. His blood wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to flow to his limbs. It took him a lot of effort to walk back to his classroom. The remaining classes passed like he was in limbo. He couldn't feel or think anything. He was weak. His eyes fell on the transparent icicles hanging from the roofs. One of them had melted enough to break. It fell down with a thud and broke into thousand pieces. He gulped. He too very soon would break like that icicle.

* * *

 **And the first chapter is done. Tell me what you think? is it worth continuing? I realized that writing one-shots is not that bad and I have some multi-chapter stories.** 😺


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I am sorry for posting so late**

* * *

The appearance of the sun in the sky was scarce in the winter months, but it was still a bright afternoon. The fir-trees planted in the Ouran garden were as green as during the rest of the year. The benches were cleared of snow, but they were cold. She didn't like having lunch inside the school with all of those rich kids. She felt more comfortable eating outside without any noise and snarky comments about her commoner lunchbox.

The afternoon was chilly. Despite, there was no breeze, and Haruhi didn't feel particularly unhappy. The green trees surrounding her made her feel hopeful and excited for the spring. It's not that she hated winter or cold, it was just harder economically speaking during the winter. She didn't have extra money to spare to buy a warmer coat, and her old one had already worn out.

She fixed her scarf around her neck, and cozily situating herself on the bench, reached for her lunchbox. She had managed to buy strawberries with discount and had baked chocolate cookies the day before. That was not exactly the best lunch she had, but it sure was one of her more delicious ones. She was so glad she didn't throw away the cooking materials left from Renge-chan's attempt at baking pastry, as the cookies were delicious. She set aside two to give the auburn haired girl and ate the rest, humming under her nose.

She was about to eat sweet, plump strawberries when she realized someone was watching her. She turned and noticed a boy standing a few meters away. His raven bangs were disheveled. He looked very pale, almost sick. His silver eyes concentrated on her, and he looked like he was about to faint from extreme pain. She looked at him for a second and then recognized him. It was the same guy from the library. He was the kind of boy, Renge-chan would call drop dead gorgeous. Though he looked a little strange if she looked at him closely. There was something unnatural about his rigid posture and pale skin.

She looked away and stared back at her lunchbox. He looked so... hungry. Maybe that was why he was staring at her. She remembered her mother teaching her about sharing with others. She looked at him again. He seemed to be concentrated on something so intensely that he didn't even noticed her glances to his direction. She stood up. Her sudden movement caused a shuffling sound and grabbed his attention. He looked surprised and stepped back as if caught in crime. Haruhi stretched the lunchbox to his direction.

"Would you like to have some?" she asked with a smile.

He blinked surprised. She heard him swallow hard, and then he walked to her cautiously, as if scared she would run away. Haruhi couldn't keep but notice how rigid and stiff his body was. His skin has paled even more as he approached her, of course if it was possible, because he was already ghostly. She bet his name was Yuki. Looked like a lifeless, cold snow. He stopped a step away from her and looked at her with weird curiosity, as if testing something. She smiled again and, taking out a strawberry, handed it to him.

"Here," she said, giving him the blood-red berry, that he took almost mechanically. "No one can resist those red strawberries, I know."

He didn't say anything, just stared at the red bundle in his palm and then back at her.

"Thank you," he finally spoke―his voice was solid and more clean than she would expect because of his sick appearance.

"If you are hungry," she said with a soft smile, "let's share the lunch together. I know how it is like in this school where students are just bunch of rich bastards."

Kyoya's eyes widened at her suggestion. He didn't know how to react. She felt so comfortable with him, as if they were friends. She even wanted to share her food with him, too bad he could never tasted it. The wind slowly blew and brought her sweet scent and he nearly fainted at how delicious her blood smells. He could hear the delicious liquid running in her veins and his body tensed. He needed to run away from her. This kind of thing never happened to him. But before he could apologize and leave, she pulled him to the bench and forced him to sit next to her.

"I don't have much," she said with a laugh, "but these cookies are great."

"Are you a first-year student?" he asked slowly, looking at the food with well clocked disgust.

"Yes," she smiled and bit from the cookie, "and you are?"

"I am Ootori Kyoya," he introduced himself, and it almost felt like a threat, "a second-year student."

"Fujioka Haruhi," she beamed, "it's nice to meet you, Kyoya-san."

"You are the honour student," he suddenly realized, "you must have worked hard to get a scholarship for Ouran."

She didn't say anything, just sighed and looked at the Ouran high school's extravagant building. She did work very hard to be a student at Ouran. She wanted to make the promise she had given to her mother come true. If it meant working all the time and studying day and night, it was a very small price to pay. The bell for the next class rang, and Kyoya Ootori stood up and left as if he was in a great hurry. She looked after the handsome second-year student and sighed. She needed to get to the library before Renge-chan would drag her to the damn host club she wouldn't shut up about.

Renge Houshakoji was an eccentric, auburn-haired, first-year student and was in the same class with her. While she was not a bad person and didn't treat her as some unworthy commoner like some of the kids, her crazy personality was enough to twirl Haruhi's head around. There was a host club in the school, and she had no idea why, but apparently it was very popular, and Renge had a crush on one of the hosts. She wanted to go there to collect what she called intelligence on the subject of her dreams, and there was no better person to go with than Haruhi in the girl's opinion.

She took her lunchbox and wanted to leave when noticed a book on the bench. It wasn't there when she sat down. Must have been left by the handsome, weird Ootori Kyoya. She took the book, looked around and decided to keep it and return to the owner next time she sees him.

"'Feather dust' by Hiroki Hirayama," Haruhi read on the cover of the book.

She snorted and put it into her bag. She wondered what the book was about and was even tempted to open and read a few pages, just because the guy who had left it made her very curious. She walked towards the school, still thinking about the handsome Ootori, who just looked too different to be forgotten so easily, when suddenly someone grabbed her and pulled her into a corner near the bushes. She winced in surprise and nearly punched Renge-chan, who was the one behind her mini-abduction.

"You shouldn't do that," she said, breathing hard, "you gave me a heart attack."

"I just wanted to make sure you won't sneak into the library and refuse to accompany me for our mission," the auburn-haired girl complained.

The word "our" made Haruhi roll her eyes. Renge-chan seemed awfully excited, and she didn't want to upset the poor girl. She sighed and nodded. After all, she was very nice to her, even though, she was a crazy bat. The girl clapped enthusiastically and dragged Haruhi to the infamous Host Club. She couldn't believe these idiots were actually students of a prestigious high school. The blonde guy was the most annoying out of all, and she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he was the chairman's son. There was a little boy, eating cakes and rubbing his eyes sleepily. She wondered why they dragged the poor elementary school kid to the horrendous club, until she was told by Renge that he was a 3rd year student, and his name was Honey-senpai.

Of course, the two goofs from their class were there too. They were playing some weird game that Haruhi wasn't interested in. She kept staring at the silent guy that Renge was smitten with and didn't know what to do. Renge-chan seemed very happy sitting there in front of the guy. She constantly batted her lashes and smiled at him, and it kind of crept Haruhi out. The entire thing seemed like some weird spectacle in a nightmare.

"There is a strange darkness surrounding you," suddenly a low, whispering voice was heard from her side.

She turned to face the person and nearly screamed, seeing a guy covered all in black. He even had a hood over his head. He was one of those weirdos that proclaimed themselves a host. While the other guys looked pretty attractive, this one was actually scary, maybe an acquired taste or something for extra adventurous ones. She didn't want to be there at all, but what could she do?

"And it will cling to you and consume you," he announced creepily and left.

Even though she knew that it was all an act and nothing more, the guy's words gave her goosebumps all over her skin. She realized if she was going to sit in this madhouse and wait to finish her "mission", she needed to find something really interesting to do. That book was still in her bag, and if she read it, no harm would be done. She would finish it and return to the guy. He wouldn't mind. After all, he forgot his book there in the first place.

The hours passed, and she had finished the book, but Renge didn't finish talking to the guy who only uttered a word at a time to her long, explosive speeches. If the club didn't close, Haruhi was sure Renge would stick there longer. She looked flustered and very happy.

"He is such a sweetie," she said with a sigh to Haruhi after they walked out of the club. "He is going to be my future husband."

Haruhi nodded, deciding that if she made her mind it was most likely going to come true.

"What were you reading?" Renge asked, frowning, "I mean there there so many gorgeous boys all around you, and all you could do is to stick your nose into that book of yours."

"I actually found it on the bench," Haruhi laughed, "the owner left it there, and I took it to return to him."

Renge rolled her eyes, as if disgusted to speak about something as boring and unworthy as books.

"It doesn't even have pictures in it," she complained, "what were you even reading?"

"Surprisingly, it was very good," Haruhi said, ignoring Renge's comment on pictures. She knew that the girl was a shoujo manga enthusiast. "A second-year student left it there. I think I should find him and give it back to him. Do you know Ootori Kyoya."

Renge looked at Haruhi surprised for a moment and then nodded. "I do," she said, "To be honest with, I came here to see him."

Haruhi blinked and brows rose up. She didn't know that. She looked at the girl questioningly, hoping she would explain without her having to ask more question.

"He is handsome, isn't he?" Renge grinned mischievously.

The vacant expression on Haruhi's face didn't change and she was glad for it. There was no need to give Renge-chan anything to pester her about. Even though she agreed that Ootori guy was as handsome as one could be. But if Renge came to Japan for him, why wasn't she running after him like she would normally do. As if reading her mind the auburn haired girl continued, "He is strange though, in a bad way."

"Strange?" Haruhi asked curiously, "how do you mean?"

Renge just shook her head, "He is very quiet and very vacant. It's as if there is nobody behind his beautiful face, as if his body is an empty shell with no soul in it," she sighed, "He is very cold and unfriendly. Doesn't talk to anyone. He is always by himself and..." she lowered her voice, "I don't think he even likes girls. Some people say, he looks at chairman's son creepily from time to time. He is scary. Just thinking about him freaks me out."

The information was too much to take in, and Haruhi wondered what amount of that nonsense was actually true and how much of it was made up and exaggerated. Sure he was strange, but he definitely wasn't scary.

"You are not in love with him, or something, right?" Renge suddenly questioned her.

Haruhi shook her head, "No, of course not! Only you fall in love that easily."

"Alright," Renge smiled, "see you tomorrow, Haru-chan!"

Haruhi nodded and waved at the leaving girl, who was walking to the car waiting for her. "See you tomorrow!" she muttered.

She turned to walk to the bus-stop and return home, when suddenly she spotted Ootori Kyoya's thin beautiful form. She stood there for a moment surprised and ran after him. He seemed to be too distracted to actually hear her voice.

"Ootori-san," she called after him again when he walked towards the trees that was leaving to the parking lot outside. He stopped and looked back at her. She was breathing heavily. She leaned to hug her knees and relax her breathing.

"I am sorry," she said, walking towards him and then she narrowed her eyes, "are you feeling well? You have lost all your color."

"I am fine," he mumbled, looking at her comprehensively and cautiously.

She smiled and, taking her bag off, walked towards him. She stopped and swallowed nervously, "Are you sure you are fine? You don't look so well, and your hands are shaking. Maybe, it's better to go to the infirmary. You might have a fever."

She stretched her hand to touch his forehead to check the temperature, but as her fingers gently brushed against his skin, he quickly stepped back and stared at her terrified.

"I am sorry," she quickly apologized realizing that she shouldn't have touched him without his permission. She just didn't think about it when she saw his lifeless face, dry lips and shaking body.

"I actually―" he suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her towards the tree and smashed her against it.

Kyoya couldn't hear anything. If she screamed, he didn't hear anything as there was a blurry silence in his head. Everything was muted and dulled. He couldn't comprehend anything except her warm blood flooding in her veins, so close, so delicious. His hands pressed her against the tree, scared she will run away, and he wouldn't be able to taste her blood. His body was breaking already. He was getting crazy with the need to drink. His thirst was driving him mad. It was making all the muscles of his body collapse. He opened his mouth, and his sharp fangs, glistered like deathly weapons when he pierced her skin with them. She squirmed in his hold, but he was bigger than her, and his entire body was concentrated on keeping her still and drinking her blood.

When he tasted her blood, his frozen body started to warm up. Her blood was nothing he had ever tasted. It was so smooth and silky against his tongue, so rich and sweet in taste. It made his dried and stretched muscles to come alive. The gulps of blood, he swallowed, made him shudder with pleasure. He didn't even notice when she stopped fighting. Her body was warm and comfortable against his in the secluded area of the school, where nobody would stumble upon them. There was only the light wind, playing with their short hair. And her sweet energy flowing down his throat. But then the realization struck him, and he pulled away from her, disgusted with himself and completely terrified.

His cheeks were rosy from her blood. Its crimson drops were flowing down his lips on his white shirt. Her face was shocked. Her ugly glasses had fallen on the floor, revealing her big, brown beautiful eyes that stared at him in shock. Her neck was bleeding. The two small wounds left from his fangs were red and swollen. She mechanically touched the wound and winced. Kyoya stared at her astounded.

How could he do it? What was he thinking? He was completely out of control, out of his mind. What would happen to this girl? What would she do now? She shook her head in disbelief, looking at him surprised, and then without saying a word, ran away. He stood there scared and slowly licked his lips, tasting her addictive, sweet blood. It made the illness, surrounding his body, go away, and he felt filled with life and strength. She was so delicious. She was pretty...

* * *

 **A/N: I will be honest, I didn't expect to be this late with this chapter, especially when I wrote the first part of it long time ago. But what happened, that happened. Of course, there are some changes in this story to make it happen. Like Kyoya is not part of the host club, while Nekozawa is, and no one thinks that Haruhi is a guy. I hope everyone are forgiving of the changes made and like the story. Tell me what you think of this chapter?** 😺


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hope didn't make you wait too long.**

* * *

His cheeks were warm when he had touched them. Her blood was running in his body, making him feel alive and strong. He brushed the tips of his fingers over his face and gasped terrified. What had he done? How could he be so careless? He had frightened the living daylights out of the girl. The look in those chocolaty eyes lingered in his mind, and he nervously shook his head. No! What he did was stupid, irresponsible and absolutely wrong. He lost the control over himself when her smell touched his nostrils. He had never been this taken, intoxicated and overwhelmed by someone, by something.

The memory of her warm trembling body so close against his own and the taste of her sweet blood, flowing out of her neck into his mouth, shook Kyoya's being. He didn't want to remember. He felt so strangely alive and real when he bit her, as if she was made for that very reason, and his own thoughts forced him shudder in disgust. Now everyone would know. She would tell about this to the school consul. His father was going to be very angry. But most of all, he was scared of how his mother would react. If she knew what he did, what would she feel?

Kyoya ran his fingers through his raven hair and leaned against the seat. He was not tired like he usually was. It was strange and pleasant to have energy and strength when his muscles could move freely, and hunger and thirst weren't driving him mad. The blood from the hospital never did this. It was her blood. He closed his eyes, and her terrified face was there, in the darkness of his mind. His stupid mistake would cost him everything, but sickeningly enough, deep down he thought to lose everything for the girl's blood was worthy deal.

"The morning sustenance was apparently good," Tachibana had spoken. "You look very much lively, Kyoya-sama."

Kyoya looked back at the older man, and his lips curved back a little to show his acknowledgement. Could he trust Tachibana? Could he tell him about what happened? He knew that everyone would soon know about what happened. He expected his father to be informed and call him any moment. It was just matter and time. But a part of him didn't want to admit even to himself what he had done. He closed his eyes again and tried to think of nothing―at least, a little bit for a short time.

The temperature changes in the air never bothered him: for one he couldn't really feel cold, and warmth had never affected him. His body had its own temperature, and his skin wasn't getting impacted by the outside influences. But her warmth―it was pleasant, it was something that was making him feel so very alive and relaxed. It was something he was capable of experiencing. How could it be possible? He could still taste her blood in his mouth. He had drunken so much of her blood like a bloodthirsty leech, uncaring of the well-being of its victim.

The driver soon stopped and parked the car in the vast yard of the Ootori estate. One of the security members went forward to open the door of the car. The day had turned more gloomy―the grey clouds had swallowed up the sun. The small silver light, that poured down from the sky, illuminated the city in monochrome, dull colours. The wind was slow, but as soon as Kyoya stepped out of the car it started to play with his dark bangs. He looked around curiously, trying to read some agitation on the faces of Ootori staff. They all looked like nothing really happened. His father might have not known, yet. He sighed and walked home.

The house seemed quiet. The maids very timidly approached him to help, but he as usual refused to hand them his schoolbag and just walked to his room. They looked so terrified of him. She looked so terrified of him, too. He clenched the bag in his grip and quickened his steps. He walked into the dimly lit room and took out his jacket. The air washed through it, and he smelled her all over his clothes. He gasped when the feelings―awoke in his mind―reached the most carnal parts of his consciousness. He never felt like this. Why was he driven insane by her very smell?

He needed to concentrate on something else. Distract himself from thinking about the delicious girl and her intoxicating smell. As the smell that lingered in the air, brought from the surface of his jacket, disappeared, his breathing relaxed and calmed. He took the books out of his school back, and small strawberry fell down on the floor. He blinked, seeing it. She had given it to him, she had shared her food with him. How he wished he could eat it. It smelled so strong of her that he was tempted for a moment to devour it.

He took it in his hand and looked at it with longing. He placed it on his table. It was red like blood. It had her smell clinging to its meaty surface, and he closed his eyes again. He was insane. He cupped his face and sat at the floor. He couldn't stop himself. His mind was poisoned with her image, with the sensations of her warm body, with the taste of her blood, and his breathing grew loud again, and he longed to drink her again.

Time passed, but he couldn't guess how much. He had crawled into the corner of his lavishly decorated room the entire day, trying to remove from his memory what happened that day. His body still felt strong and alive. Something he had never felt before, and he was scared how easy and good it felt. He was scared because he knew that he wanted to feel this way all the time. His body no longer felt as if it was breaking, and his heart was beating steady. He lay long like that until a maid came in and told him that he was expected for dinner.

He wondered what his father would do. What would be his punishment for what he did? Maybe he would just bribe the girl's family not to utter a word about it, after all she was an honor student, a poor commoner who managed to enter Ouran High school only because she was bright enough to get a scholarship. He fixed his clothes and walked down into the dining hall.

"You look good today, Kyoya, dear," he heard his mother's voice. "The color had returned to your face."

"You mean he looks normal today," Akito commented and earned a warning stare from Yoshio.

"Thank you, mother," he said politely and took his seat at the table.

He glanced at his father, wondering if he knew about the school incident, but the man's face was blank and emotionless. When they started eating in silence, he realized that no one knew anything. Maybe she was too scared to tell anyone yet. But sooner or later everyone would find out. Maybe he still had a chance to meet her and explain himself. But who was he kidding? She wouldn't even come close to him, if she was sane, after what happened and listen to what he had to say in his defense. But he couldn't defend himself, because he was wrong. There was nothing to justify him.

He stared at food and realized that today he was willing to eat just to punish himself for what he did. The disgusting, juicy vegetables and meat went down his throat like a pile of needles. It tasted disgusting, and it felt disgusting against his tongue. He was going to puke very soon. He looked at the faces of his mother, father and brothers. They looked pleased to put the food into their mouths, and he was the only one who dreaded it, and that very thing separated him and distanced him from the rest of them.

After the dinner was over, and Kyoya had spent half an hour in the bathroom, throwing up the food he had eaten a few minutes ago, Yoshio called him into his office. The young Ootori walked slowly, wondering if the conversation was going to be about what happened in the school. It was most likely that he had learnt. He rarely wanted to see him or talk to him.

"Sit, Kyoya," Yoshio said, as his son appeared in the room. "I want to talk about your condition."

Kyoya blinked uncomfortably, as he walked forward and sat in front of his father, "What about it?" he asked slowly.

"You know that you can't continue to live like that. You can't get blood from the hospital forever. You can't just hide in your room all the time. This needs to be cured. You are not a child anymore, and if you want to have any future at all as a member of the Ootori family, you need to get treated."

"You know very well, father, that nothing can be done," Kyoya spoke, and despite the frustration inside him, he remained calm. "My entire digestive system isn't functioning, and you can't just treat my skin against the ultraviolet rays. It's not sickness that can be treated. My organism is completely mutated. And you know it, father."

Yoshio's cold face wrinkled. He knew that Kyoya was right. All their family had the chance of being born the way he was, only they were lucky not to. But he wasn't willing to accept it. He couldn't just accept that kind of condition for his son, for an Ootori.

"You understand that if anyone finds out about what you are, you will shame our family," he said harshly.

The muscles on Kyoya's face twitched. He blinked quickly, and then gulping, looked up at his father. His face expressed nothing. There was no anger, frustration, disappointment or hurt on his face, even though he felt all of them.

"I know," he said coldly, "but I can't change what I am."

"Your brother is working on a new medication," Yoshio said after a short moment of silence. "We are thinking it can help you. If you are willing to..."

"You want to use me as a lab rat?" Kyoya laughed bitterly.

"We can't test it on any other animals. You know there are no other life forms with that condition," Yoshio explained as if feeling guilty. "You know that either way your life isn't exactly a real life. You are just surviving. I know that the blood I give you from the hospital is not enough."

The young man's face darkened. So he knew? He knew, and he was willing to torture him, to turn his existence into a painful suffering. All this time he thought the man wasn't aware what he was doing. But how wrong he was. His hands started to shake, and he clenched them into a firm fist. He control his features and remained stoically unreadable.

"You can't get married even like this," Yoshio continued, "no family would agree. You should think about your life and your responsibilities as an Ootori. You should try this new medication. It's your only hope to ever having a normal life."

He wanted to be far away from his father. He couldn't be close to him now that he had heard everything the man said. He treated him as if he was some kind of animal and not his son. He cupped his face and inhaled a gulp of cold air.

"I will think about it," he murmured slowly, then apologized and left the room.

He decided to do this homework and completely ignore all the thoughts and emotions that were stirring inside him and bothering him. The amount of classwork he did until nearly the morning surprised even him. He usually would stay up to work on more material than he was assigned to with his extreme desire to please his father, but today he was doing it for sole reason of numbing the screams inside his head. He wanted to shut down the stream of thoughts that were telling him how worthless his life was that even his father was ready to push him away.

He woke up lying in his chair. There was a pile of paper and books in front of him. His computer monitors were still on. Their neon bright light almost blinded him when he opened his eyes. He felt like a corpse. He rubbed his eyes and got up. There was the small strawberry at his desk, and it had withered down and looked dried up after lying there the entire night. He walked closer to it and sniffed its smell. It still smelled of her, and his heart quickened treacherously.

He put it quickly into his drawer and went into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, Kyoya saw his face. It wasn't as lively as it was yesterday, but he still had some color in his cheeks and looked very much like a normal human being. No blood ever lasted this long. He realized bitterly that her blood was different, and he was screwed for trying it.

He was still angry about the conversation with his father the day before and decided to skip the breakfast. He got dressed and called Tachibana. He needed to get to school sooner to find out if the girl had told everyone about what he did. Maybe he could do something before everything went out of control.

When he got to school, though, nothing seemed out of ordinary or usual. No one looked at him strangely, well at least not any more strangely than they already did. He concluded that no one knew anything. He sighed relieved, but part of him started to worry. Why wouldn't she tell anyone until now? Was she alright? Did he bite her so deeply and severely that she got hurt? He didn't think about it until then, and his body throbbed with anxiety. He was a selfish bastard who worried what will happen to him and never wondered maybe he had hurt her too deeply.

"Kyoya-kun," he heard the bothersome Suoh's voice who wouldn't just leave him alone, "are you heading to the classroom? Wait for me!"

Kyoya groaned and stopped. Why was this guy insisting on being so impolite? They were not close, and he never gave any indication he wanted to be addressed so intimately, nor he ever give the guy a reason to think that he enjoyed his company. Yet, chairman's son loved to attach himself to him, and he hated him.

"Ugh" the guy moaned, catching up with the youngest Ootori, "thanks for waiting."

Kyoya nodded and continued to walk. Tamaki Suoh always smelled good, but only now walking side by side with him, Kyoya realized that the smell of his blood was nothing like the first year honor student's blood. Her blood was strange. It was tempting, strong and just twirled his head around.

"You look good today," the guy suddenly talked, "I don't mean to say you usually don't look good. It's just that..."

He paused and stared at Kyoya's face carefully, "You look more alive," he said awkwardly, "I am sorry it must sound strange and rude. I apologize."

He had manners! Who would know! Kyoya nodded in acknowledgment and continued to walk in silence. He still kept looking around at people's faces, trying to read on them any indication of anyone knowing anything. Suddenly his eyes caught the girl. He spotted her with red-headed Houshakoji. That blathering girl who was the daughter of one of his father's business partners. He remembered her jumping to him with love announcements, which she very soon abandoned. There was something about him that scared people, even when they didn't know what he was. He tried to see her face, but she was looking at the redhead. He felt relieved that she was fine enough to come to school.

"So what do you think?" he heard Suoh's voice and turned to face him puzzled.

"About what?" he asked surprised. He didn't realize he was talking to him this entire time.

"We are having a ball in the host club," he smiled, "I wondered if you would like to come."

"Thank you for the invitation," he said politely, "but I am afraid I won't be able to come, Suoh-san."

"Why not?" Tamaki scowled, "you never have fun. You always study. Wouldn't it be great to have fun with others?"

No, it wouldn't be fun because he couldn't have fun. He never could have fun like others could, and it was the reason why he wanted to keep his distance from others. When he didn't like yesterday, he hurt an innocent girl.

"And Renge-chan would be there," the blonde classmate added. "She likes to come to our club with her friend, that weird girl."

Kyoya turned to glare at the guy. He had noticed that he was glancing to their direction and wrongly concluded that he liked Houshakoji. How very stupid! But on the other hand if the redhead came to that ball with the honor student, maybe he could talk to her and apologize for what he did. He knew he had no place to expect her to even listen, but maybe in front of other people she would feel safe enough to try to hear what he had to say.

"Maybe I will come," he said, and the blonde guy grinned triumphantly.

The classes were boring, and when the lunchtime came, he decided to walk out of the school. After all, he didn't want to smell any of the food people were eating. He found the bench in the Ouran garden, where he usually would sit and read, and where he met that girl the second time. He sat there and stared at the green fir trees. They were strange. They were proudly green when all the other trees that lost all their leaves and colour. Even in the winter cold they stood there all green and fresh. If only he could be like these trees and never wither, because he needed to drink human blood to survive.

"Hello," he heard a soft voice and jumped up startled.

His eyes widened in shock as he saw the girl: Haruhi Fujioka, standing in front of him. She was looking at him cautiously, like a prey looking at possible predator. He was so startled and surprised that he didn't even say anything. He noticed the small band-aid on her neck, covering his bitemarks.

"I have brought your book," she said, gesturing towards a book in her hand, "you had left it on the bench yesterday."

* * *

Hello everyone! I hope you liked this chapter and sorry for cutting there. Tell me what you think of the story so far. Have a wonderful day and night wherever you are. And **try to stay happy! 😺**


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope you like the new chapter**

* * *

Renge-chan was chatting so fast about the newest manga she read that Haruhi thought she was going to have a brain stroke. She was cold, and her body was still aching. She didn't know what was going on with her. She didn't sleep the entire night, waiting any moment to turn into a vampire after being bitten by one and at the same time thinking about the weird guy who bit her. What all of that meant? For a moment, she thought Renge-chan would know all about vampires by all the active ways she was chatting about her supernatural shoujo manga stories, but she realized it wouldn't be a good idea to give the redhead any ideas.

The wounds on her neck still hurt. But at the same time, she didn't feel scared of the idea that someone had bitten her and drunk her blood. She was so startled that she had run away the moment the guy let go of her. But he looked even more terrified when he stared at her back then. She could almost feel bad for him. Her hand went to brush over the bandaged wound, and she remembered the shocking pain she felt when he pierced his teeth into her flesh. He must have had extremely sharp teeth to be able to do that. The wounds indicated fangs.

"You know that Ootori guy is staring at you," Renge suddenly said. "Is there something I must know?"

"I forgot to return his book," Haruhi mumbled apologetically. "Maybe he thinks I am about to keep it to myself."

She laughed awkwardly and glanced back. He was talking to the Host club's prince, that obnoxious Tamaki Suoh. He looked so thoughtful. Haruhi quickly averted her eyes and returned her attention back to Renge. The redhead looked curious, and Haruhi decided to change the topic.

"So, have you already decided what you are going to wear for the Host Club's ball," she asked, knowing that it was not a good thing to give something to Renge-chan to rave about, but she wanted her focus elsewhere, other than the strange, handsome Ootori Kyoya and herself. Renge-chan might have been a bit too obsessive and mad, but she was quite sharp, too.

"I am still searching for the perfect gown," she screamed excited. "And you know what? You are coming with me to find it. Besides you would need a dress for yourself, because you are going to that ball with me, and no, I don't want to hear any noes!"

Haruhi sighed and nodded. She knew that Renge would drag her around eventually, so there was no point to refuse. She was so focused on the idea of seducing the 3rd-year Morinozuka guy that she wouldn't calm down until she got him. She looked back to see if the Ootori Kyoya was anywhere near, but he was left behind. They had walked away into the different section of Ouran High school.

She sighed. She was worried, but she had planned to meet that guy and ask him what was all that about. Why did he bit her? Was she going to turn into a vampire or something like that? And of course, she wanted to give his book back to him, which she planned to do yesterday, but was interrupted by the guy's crazy attack. Renge-chan pulled her into the classroom and continued to chatter about how in love she was with Mori-senpai. Haruhi had heard it so much, she was sure she was going to have nightmares about the two.

"We should quickly find someone for you," she said solemnly. "I can't be the only one dating. So, we can have double dates and trips. Oh my God, that sounds so romantic! I can't believe I didn't realize this before. We should find you a boyfriend. Do you have anyone under your radar?"

Haruhi frowned and shook her head. "Thank you very much," she raised her hands defensively. "I came to Ouran to study, not start romances with rich, damn bastards."

Renge scowled and wanted to retort something when the teacher walked in. They all hurried into their seats. She couldn't say the wound on her neck wasn't aching and reminding her of what happened the day before, but at the same, she felt strangely content about it. It confused her. She touched it again and then shook her head when the burning sensation returned. What was wrong with her? Why did she keep nudging at the wound as if it was some surprise box?

The classes went quite easily, she guessed, because she wasn't really paying attention much. Her mind was concentrated on something else, or rather someone else. She had no idea what to make of the bite on her neck. It was scary to think that vampires existed all along, or maybe he was not a vampire, but a crazy weirdo with awfully unnatural fetishes. No, she remembered his face. He looked just as much terrified. She was sure of it. She shook her head. She would confront him and clear everything out.

When the lunch break approached, she took her bag and sneaked out of the school. Renge-chan insisted on eating together, but she didn't like how others viewed her lunchbox and eating in peace was important. She wrapped her scarf around her shoulders and walked through the garden to the quiet place she found. But as she turned around and neared the bench, she realized it was already occupied by someone else. Her eyes widened in surprise, fear and excitement when she spotted the second-year student who had bitten her yesterday.

She gulped the thickness in her throat, and taking a deep breath, walked towards him. Her steps were uncertain and slow, and her heartbeat was growing faster and louder. Her stomach felt sick and her mouth dried up. She instinctively touched the wound on her neck and winced as the burning, hot sensation tingled her skin. He looked so harmless and innocent from the side. She shook her head. She had made her mind that she would talk to him, and it wasn't the time to back away. Taking out the book she had intended to return, she straightened her shoulders and walked up to him.

The cold winter air brushed against her cheeks, whipping her short hair. Her stomach turned weak as she stood next to him. He didn't seem to notice her presence, as if he was occupied with some frustrating thoughts and didn't see anything around himself. She leaned down and greeted.

"Hello," he jumped up startled and looked back at her with confusion and shock and something feral, dangerous.

Haruhi gulped and stared at him, preparing for an attack, but it never came. The guy was so surprised by her presence that he just stared at her with the sort of astonishment people reserve for things they see for the first time. Haruhi noticed that the deadly pale colour had faded away from his face, and he looked quite lively today.

"I have brought your book," she said, pointing at it, internally grateful that she had taken it out of her backpack, and there was something to say to break the awkward, heavy silence. "You had left it on the bench yesterday."

She noticed how his eyes shifted from her neck to the book and he blinked. His posture was tense and rigid. It was as if he had no intentions of moving. But then she heard his voice.

"I am sorry," he said, curling his lips in disgust, as if the words that came out of his mouth were foul. "I shouldn't have done it yesterday. It was a terrible mistake, and I hope you are not injured because of it."

Haruhi raised her eyebrows. She wasn't still sure that it was a good idea to get closer to him, but his apology, for some reason, gave her a hope that she would be safe. She sat on the bench, on the edge of it, and now he was towering over her. She realized back yesterday that he was really tall, not as tall as Renge-chan's sweetheart, but taller than most. Her grip on the book became tighter and she, inhaling a gulp of air, looked sideways at him. He sat down too, on the other side of the bench, not daring to look at her directly and stretched his hand.

She tentatively gave him the book and then turned to face him, "Will I turn into a vampire?" she asked cautiously.

He looked back at her, and she noticed how his facial muscles tensed. There was something wild in his eyes that frightened her, but she wasn't willing to show it.

"I..." he looked at her warily and shook his head, "I don't think so. I have bitten my mother once by accident and nothing happened to her."

She sighed relieved. All of those worries for no reason! She shouldn't have tortured herself. A small silence followed, and then she spoke again, "Then how did you become like that?"

He didn't answer for a second, as if he was assessing her, trying to read some deception on her face, but then he looked away towards the trees where the fountains were frozen, "I was born this way," he sighed.

"Is your family like you too?" she asked curiously.

"No," he said reluctantly, pursing his lips as if he didn't like being there and talking to her.

"Then how were you born that way?" she scoffed, "that sounds really improbable."

He didn't answer, just gave her a look and fidgeted on the wooden bench. He wanted to leave, but wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

"I am sorry," she said, noticing his discomfort, "I was just worried about myself and couldn't keep the questions. It must appear I am prying."

He looked at her again, this time, the look of annoyance was less visible. But it seemed like he had paled again, as if he wasn't really breathing. She looked around for a second and then clumsily opened her backpack to get her lunchbox. She felt awkward after asking personal questions, which she didn't even think were personal when she asked them. It was her break, and she needed to eat before the classes would start. She noticed that his face wrinkled in disgust when she started to eat.

"Do you want some?" she smiled at him, trying to be ease the tension, "I can share. It's a bit too much for me."

"I can't eat," he said, looking at her food with disdain as if it was the world's most foul thing.

"Right," she said, "you don't eat human food at all?"

"I can't eat it," he sighed, "my body doesn't digest it for a while already."

"Does it taste bad?" she asked curiously, wondering how anyone could say no to the delicious smelling food. "Or you don't feel, you know, replete."

He gritted his teeth in annoyance, and she almost stepped back, seeing his threatening eyes, but then his expression softened, maybe he realized how scary he looked, "I can't eat human food at all," he explained, "it's not just the taste, mind you, it tastes disgusting, but if I could survive eating that garbage, I would have gladly. I did when I was younger, but with years my digestive system failed, and I can't digest anything I am eating, thus I can't get nutrition or anything at all."

Haruhi's eyes widened at his confession, and she looked at him with sympathy. "I am sorry," she said, "must be hard for you."

He shook his head, "I am fine," he said, not wanting to admit how much he craved her blood. She was so close, he could smell her. He wanted to drink her blood like he had never wanted anything. The desire filled his head and clouded his senses. He wanted to leave, but after what he did to her, he realized he owed her some explanations at least and no matter how unwilling he was, he found himself answering her questions.

"The strawberry I gave you," she smiled, "it was useless, wasn't it?"

She mumbled something about a perfect strawberry being wasted and then looked at him again. Haruhi's heart throbbed with painful long, exhilarating pangs. He must have felt really lonely, and it must have been difficult for him not to have any food he liked.

"So, you are only drinking blood?" she asked.

"Yes," he said coldly, perhaps hoping she would shut up.

"Animal blood?" she asked again, shifting in her place, moving a bit closer.

Kyoya inhaled sharply. The wind washed her smell towards him, and he thought he would faint. He rubbed his temple and sighed, trying to concentrate on her food. It smelled foal, and he hoped it would set his desire down. It would subdue her smell, it would take his mind away from her delicious soft skin, her warm, cozy heartbeat.

"No," he said with utmost concentration, "animals have various pathogens in their blood that's not suited for a human organism. I would just get a shock from it and get sick, even worse than with cooked food."

"Then you drink human blood," she said wide-eyed, "from humans."

Kyoya sighed, "from hospital," he said, wondering why was he digging his own grave and answering this girl's questions. If she went and told everyone about this, it would make a huge scandal. He wasn't sure anyone would believe her, but people wouldn't stop gossiping anyways.

"Then why aren't you having your lunch now?" she asked confused, "or you will turn pale and lifeless like you were yesterday and attack someone."

"Because I don't have any blood with me. Why are you asking so many questions?" he huffed frustrated.

She didn't say anything, just kept eating her food, and Kyoya wondered why he was still sitting there. He should run away from her as far as possible if he didn't want any problems. But her smell captivated him, it imprisoned him in his place, paralyzed his limbs and he couldn't move. Her smell had woken up all of his body, and he wanted to have her right then in the middle of the school yard, on the frozen bench, until nothing of her was left. The thoughts sickened him, and he clutched his hands with disgust.

"Are you hungry now?" she asked.

He didn't answer. He couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe. It was all wrong. He thought it was a great opportunity to apologize to her and make sure she wouldn't blurt out anything to anyone, but now he realized her presence made it hard for him, really hard.

She had noticed how he was staring at her food. He must have been very hungry, she reasoned, and yesterday he attacked her because he was starving. Now she realized why he was looking so pale and weak. It made her feel really guilty about having food she liked to eat. She came from an ordinary family, and she couldn't afford many delicious dishes that she would love to try, like fancy tuna. But now she realized that it was just a minor deprivation, something she could live on without.

She put her lunchbox down which startled Kyoya, and he narrowed his eyes, glancing at her suspiciously. She took out her jacket and rolled up the hem of her blue pullover. Having her skin so exposed, made Kyoya get crazy. He stood up immediately, intending to run away.

"Are you sure I won't turn into a vampire?" she asked again, making him linger his gaze at her bare arm.

"Nothing will happen," he said, "I don't think, at least, nothing happened before when accidents happened."

He had bitten a few people a few times before. He didn't drink their blood of course. But it was a genetic disease he didn't have any special active virus, or microorganisms that could have infected her.

"Promise you will stop when I ask you, and you won't drink too much," she said tentatively, stretching her hand towards him.

Kyoya stared at her in utter disbelief, fear and astonishment. Her hand was shaking, but there was a determination in her deep, soulful eyes. What was she doing? Why was she doing it? Questions twirled in his head. Did she have something in her mind?

"Why?" he asked coldly, "What's in it for you?"

She blinked surprised and retreated her hand, apparently she didn't expect that kind of reaction from him, "I..." she started, "I didn't want to offend you. I just thought you look very hungry. I have been taught to share with others..."

Her mother had always taught her that. She always spoke about the importance of helping others and being nice. Her heart trembled when she looked at him again.

"You have been taught?" he mocked bitterly, laughing so coldly that sent shivers down her spine, "You have been taught to share your blood with others? What else had they taught you? You think I am an idiot?"

"I..." she looked at him surprised. She didn't expect him to react that way, but he always did what she didn't expect. She gulped and blinked her eyes, trying to understand why he was angry, "I just wanted to help you. You are hungry, aren't you? Should there be something in it for me?"

"If I wanted to sleep with you, would you also help me with that?" he said ,staring at her face with pique. "How very nice of you! I don't know if you are foolish or just very good at pretending to be. Or..." he stood closer now, "you have something in your mind."

Her face turned red at his remarks, and that made breathing hard for both of them. She had never met a person this distrustful. She was supposed to be the one scared and wary of him, not the other way around. But his words made her think. It was foolish of her to make such an offer to a complete stranger and yet, her heart scowled at her, demanding her to help this condescending bastard. Something about him made her feel very sympathetic. It was strange.

"It's just blood," she rolled her eyes, "I have plenty. I even intended to be a blood donor. I would have had the same reaction if you were bleeding to death and needed someone's blood. I would have given you my blood then, so stop making up things."

She took her bag and wanted to go away when he held her hand. She turned back to look at him. His face had bleached, and he had lost all the colour that was on his face initially. He looked even worse than he was yesterday when he attacked her. She dropped her jacket on the ground when his grip on her bare hand became very tight.

"Are you sure I can?" he asked with a pained expression on his face. He was scared to try, and he was scared that she was up to something.

She nodded and sat down. She wasn't really sure, and she didn't understand why she said everything she said. He held her hand in front of his eyes, and then she yelped as his sharp teeth went into her skin. It burnt and stung. She shook her hand mechanically, but he was holding it tightly. She could hear him gulping her blood. She could see how his face changed from horrid pale, into a lovely tender colour and how his wooden muscles shook and moved. He looked entirely obsessed. She felt she would faint any moment if he kept drinking, but he stopped.

He lifted his head and there was a blood on his lips. His silver eyes wide and mesmerized as if he had just witnessed something magnificently unbelievable.

"Are you alright?" he asked worried.

She nodded, and he let go of her hand. There were two small wounds on her hand and small drop of blood around them. She stared at the wounds and wondered how he could have made those holes so easily. She reached for her bag and took out a bandage and before she would put it on she licked her blood instinctively to make it clean. She wrinkled her face, it was salty and not good at all. His face changed when he realized she had licked her skin where his lips touched her, but it seemed she didn't give any significance to it. Only for some reason his body did.

"Tastes disgusting," she admitted.

"It's sweet," he confessed, not knowing why he wanted to reassure her.

"You look good now," she commented, staring at him for a second and then looked away.

This was way more intimate than she thought it would be. There was something chilling about the way he had looked at her. It was disturbing. She had never had anyone to look at her person with such wild lust and need. She inhaled the air and pulled down the sleeve of her pullover. He stared at her every movement, carefully examining her.

"Thank you," he said when she was leaving. She didn't turn back just ran away towards the school.

Kyoya walked up. His body was so alive and fresh. He thought he could have run a marathon. His classes started too, and he needed to go to school. Her smell was in his nose, making him feel relaxed and satisfied, and her taste was in his mouth. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air as if trying to collect her smell that might have lingered in the air after she passed through it.

He couldn't believe she had offered her blood. He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth and then brushed the tip of it over the drops of rich, sweet blood. His heart was beating steadily, his muscles were relaxed and strong. Her blood had woken him up from his lethargic slumber.

When he headed towards the classroom, he stopped abruptly feeling someone hand on his shoulder. He didn't even need to turn to know that it was Suoh Tamaki. This guy didn't get the hint that he didn't want to deal with him.

"Kyoya-kun," he said cheerfully, "here is the invitation to the ball."

Kyoya took the envelop, and politely bowing, decided to move on before the chairman's son would come with more things to say.

"I have specifically asked Renge-chan if she will attend the ball," Tamaki Suoh smiled childishly, "and she said she will."

"Thank you, Souh-san," Kyoya forced a polite smile and kept walking, the blonde followed him.

"She comes to our club very often, Kyoya-kun," he said in a friendly voice, "I could have helped you with getting closer to her."

Kyoya paused and stared at Tamaki. He looked at his classmate attentively and then sighed, "I think, Suoh-san, you got the wrong impression. I am not interested in Houshakuji-san. She is not in _my taste_."

Tamaki blinked surprised and a little embarrassed, and then nodded.

"I am sorry," he apologized, "you were looking at her, and I thought... doesn't matter. I hope this won't dissuade from coming to the ball."

Kyoya smiled, "I will try to be present," he said politely, "thank you for the invitation, Suoh-san."

* * *

A/N- What do you think about this chapter? I was a little wary about having Haruhi offer Kyoya her blood so soon, because it seemed a little strange to me. But I thought she was always kind and willing to help and didn't think of things to be a big deal than they were. Wanting to know your opinion.


	5. Chapter 5

**I hope you like the new chapter.**

* * *

The distressed maid peered at the bloodied collar of the shirt of Ootori-sama's son. She permitted an audible, fearful gulp and folded the woolen garment, putting it in the laundry basket in her hand. Her hands were shaking as she was sorting out the other clothes the young master had put aside for washing. She had worked in this household for more than ten years and knew the horrific secret her employer's son had. He was an attractive, young man even more handsome than his elder brothers, and those men were certainly good-looking. She might have been a little advanced in the years, but even her body tingled with excitement when she looked at them. The youngest child of the family not only inherited Ootori-sama's masculine features, but he also possessed his mother's grace and elegance. And while she couldn't deny that the child was handsome, she always felt terrified of him.

He was ice cold and had a domineering presence. His face always unemotional and guarded. He was more detached than the rest of the family and was reticent about his interests and affairs. It was always difficult to guess what kind of mood he had and even more difficult to deduce if he approved of something or hated it. He was courteous but aloof and formal. He never let any emotions slip on his face and was always in control of his every move. The workers at home feared him. Some of them knew that he was not a human entirely and feared him immensely.

He never did anything to earn such fear, but people were scared of those who were different, and this young man was extremely different. The household personnel wasn't allowed to speak about his condition, and everyone feared Ootori-sama anyways and wouldn't divulge anything accidentally. The patriarch of Ootori family wasn't someone anyone would dare to meddle with. He was a ruthless man, with a heart of iron and steel and no empathy towards those who might wrong him. It was enough warning for anyone to entertain even the idea of talking to the press about what was going around in the Ootori estate.

Youngest Ootori Kyoya-sama was reserved, very clean and neat, and maybe that's why the expression on the maid's face was the one of a panic. She had never seen anything on his clothes, not even trace of ink that his elder brothers had in their own time when they were high school students. Seeing drops of crimson red blood on the starched collar of his white shirt terrified the woman. The stains were fresh, and her heart started to beat faster. Did he drink someone's blood?

He was careful, shrewd; if he drunk someone's blood, there wouldn't be such stains, unless, he did it hastily, unplanned, with a certain force that didn't allow him to care about his tidy appearance. The woman's body froze, and she scowled at the unpleasant way cold sweat coated her skin. She grabbed the basket and walked out of his room. She didn't want him to catch her with the bloodied over-garment in her hands. She didn't even want to think what would happen if he did. But as she was about to leave the wing of the house, she came face to face with the man.

His dark hair well brushed and styled, his perfect nose, bearing the glasses that hid his emotionless eyes and distracted the viewer. He was pale, but not in his usual sick way. No, today he looked very much normal. She would even say she noticed some glitter in his lifeless eyes. Her heart started to beat faster and faster as she stared at him, imagining what he might have done to be so animated. When he reached her, he gave her a perfect, respectful bow and walked to his room, without saying a word. Her stomach curled, and she hurried to leave.

She was too scared to show the shirt to anyone else, even Ootori-sama's wife. She needed to go to the laundry room and bleach the stain as soon as possible; before anyone would sniffle around. No, this young man wasn't someone she wanted to be at odds with. She had seen him eat at the table day and night the food he threw up with a face that didn't indicate any emotion. He was not Yoshio-sama, he was far more dangerous. They say only a fool doesn't fear those who don't flinch when they are hurt. Yoshio-sama was very harsh with the boy, but Kyoya Ootori didn't seem to break down in front of his father.

"You are too despotic with him, tosama," she heard Saori-sama's voice and stopped.

She was in her husband's study and seemed to be arguing with him. The woman never stepped out of the line, she knew her place and was always obedient to her husband and his wishes. The very rare times she dared to argue was about their children and Yoshio-sama's dictatorial behaviour towards them. She still remembered how the pretty woman was pleading her husband not to force their daughter into the arranged marriage. But Yoshio-sama wasn't a softhearted person who gave into emotion. He was determined, and that drove him to his goals.

The maid put the basket on the floor and started to dust around, so she could eavesdrop on them without getting caught on the security cameras for doing something suspicious.

"Saori, please, don't make a drama," Ootori patriarch's voice was low, relaxed as if he was trying to persuade something silly to leave him alone. "I have so much work to do, and you are distracting me. Kyoya is not a child. You are forgetting that your son is sick, and everything I am doing is for his own good."

"He needs your love," the wife protested. "And I don't think it's for his own good to try unverified medication."

"Saori," the man's tone dropped until it became icy cold, "you are putting too much thought in that pretty head of yours. Leave these matters to my consideration and busy yourself with things that concern you."

"He is my son, too," the woman cried, raising her voice, but it faltered. "I apologize, tosama, but you have to understand that I..."

Yoshio-sama sighed, "Please, Saori, I already have a headache. Don't make it worse. Have Kyoya to be called here. I need to talk to him."

The maid immediately went away from the door, dusting objects far from the door to ensure she wouldn't bump into mistress Saori. She swept the duster over the antique ornaments adorning the surface of rococo style Encoignure with mother-of-pearl inlay and mounted in gilded bronze. Yoshio-sama had collected expensive, historically prominent Lacquerware at various auctions. His collections included pieces from Ryukuu islands that were distinguished by their crimson colour and use of inlaid seashells. She pushed the laundry basket to the side to make sure Saori-sama wouldn't see the sight of it.

But when the woman walked out of her husband's study, the deep, mournful expression in her eyes declared that she wouldn't notice anything at all. She looked broken. The maid stared at her with sympathy and then bowed politely. It took Saori a moment to realize that she was spoken to, she raised her head and seeing the made there, squirmed in discomfort that she had let the weakness to take over her face. Her husband would have frowned with disgust.

"Did Kyoya already return, Miwa-san?" she asked, straightening her posture to a considerable degree.

"Yes, I had seen him on his way to his private quarters. Would you like me to call him?"

She looked up the stairs and shook her head, "No," she said. "I will do it myself."

At moments like this Ootori Saori, a woman who had always been envied for the position and status she had taken in society by her peers, felt really weak and helpless. When it came to defending her children against her husband, she always failed. Yoshio had a way of holding things together and making sure no one strayed from his plan. He had everything under his control any given moment, and that eliminated any possibility of her having any opinion. She always felt her husband knew the best about their children's future and choices, but today the conversation with her husband didn't reassure her.

She didn't know how to tell Kyoya that his mother was unable to make everything stop and couldn't protect him at all. Just before her eyes her son was dying a very painful death; he was starving․ She could see it every day in his desperate eyes and tired face. She couldn't watch him and not feel her heart ache. And no matter how much she had tried to convince Yoshio to let Kyoya be; the man wasn't ready to let go, he wanted to "fix" his son. He couldn't accept him to be something unnatural and horrid.

The very little blood he had allowed him to have, he didn't consider a proper thing a concerned parent would do for his son, but a temporary solution until he found a way to cure him. And now the man wanted to take away that little blood that allowed their son to function at all. He wanted to cut that little oxygen he had because Kyoya had refused to try the sketchy medications they were working on with Yuuichi. To manipulate the boy like that, to leave him no room for a decision was outright cruel, and she felt terrible for not stopping all of it.

She didn't know how she was going to face him after that. Her small steps took her to her son's bedroom. Her thin fingers cloaked the knob, she leaned against it, trying to hear any sound coming from the inside, not wanting to disturb the young man, and then she knocked. She heard his son's voice, inviting him. She hadn't been inside his room after he graduated from middle school. Kyoya like all the men in the family kept to himself and didn't like being intruded.

He had stood up when she walked in and bowed gracefully. It didn't seem he was surprised to see her. But she rarely understood what her boys were thinking. Their faces were always taciturn―little was written on them. The heavy curtains had dimmed the light inside, but she still could clearly see her son's face. To her surprise, he looked completely healthy and very much normal. She knew that Yoshio didn't give him any blood today.

"How are you doing, mother?" he asked politely.

The corners of her mouth turned down, but she immediately forced a smile, "I am good," she mumbled, "your father wants to talk to you."

Kyoya nodded and put aside the book he was holding. It was a novel by Hiroki Hirayama, a recent edition, Saori recognized from the cover. She stiffened when he walked towards the door. He didn't know yet that Yoshio planned to cut the little supply of blood he had allowed him to have. She knew it would come as a shock, even for her strong-willed son. She needed to warn him, at least.

"Kyoya-kun," she stopped him, "your father... he is... he wants you to try the treatment that Yuuichi-kun works on and..."

"He will not give me any blood," Kyoya said flatly, "I know. I have already reached to that conclusion." The woman's face whitened, and she swallowed hard. "Don't worry, mother," Kyoya bowed again and left the room. Saori gripped the sides of her dress. She wishes she was a stronger person.

Kyoya expected that his father would take immediate action after his refusal. He was not a fool to believe that Yoshio Ootori would just let him be when he refused to undergo the treatment. He knew his father very well, and he had declined his offer, knowing how the man will try to manipulate him into it. He just didn't like the idea of his mother being upset over it. He sighed as he approached his study, wondering how his father will try to maneuver the situation.

Yoshio Ootori was sitting at his desk, working on some documents with concentration, but his shoulders were relaxed, and his face bore a neutral expression. He raised his head to meet his son after he walked and greeted him politely. Yoshio averted his eyes, staring back to the pile of documents on his desk and then shot a glance straight back at him, realizing that something was off about his son. He narrowed his eyes as he reviewed the slight changes he noticed.

"Mother has told me you wanted to see me, father," he said, coming forward.

"Yes," Yoshio said, and the corner of his mouth twitched, "it's about your future and the honour of our family."

Kyoya sat down in front of the older man and crossed his legs elegantly. His face had a natural tint, and his eyes were bright. His son looked a little too good for him not to become suspicious. He sighed and threw the documents into the bin and got up from his seat. He was overthinking, perhaps; the stress of the work and his wife's nagging had given him a headache.

"I don't think I can continue to provide you with blood, Kyoya," Yoshio said, crossing his arms behind his back. "It's unethical to use the donor blood in such manner."

Unethical? His mind came up with million reasons that it was unethical for his father to use deceit in order to achieve his goal. He knew that Yoshio Ootori didn't consider anything of unethical as they successfully could serve his purposes. He smiled, showing his strange long teeth that he preferred to keep hidden. He was genuinely amused that his father thought he would agree if starved him. Something stubborn in him that never existed suddenly woke up and demanded to refuse whatever his father would say.

 _It's just blood. I have plenty. I would have had the same reaction if you were bleeding to death and needed someone's blood. I would have given you my blood then._

Her words for some reason came to mind. A mere stranger willing to share her blood that was so sweet, drove him crazy. And here was standing a man, his father, who called it unethical to give him blood sample from a hospital, left by willing people. She was right, he was very much any other patient in need of blood.

"I think it would for the best if you agree to start the medication," Yoshio continued, "Kyoya, you are not a child anymore. You should make important decisions about your life."

He stood up, "I am sorry, father," he said, "if I can, I don't want to try any treatment. The food isn't my only problem. At this point, medication can't help me. And there isn't any research done for this disease in the field of genetic disorders."

Yoshio scowled, but nodded, "take your time to think about it," he said in a way as if saying he was sure he would be back.

After the short conversation with his father, he sat in his room motionless, trying to understand his side, but he found he just didn't want to see his side. Very few things bothered him in life at all, and one of those things was his father's lack of acknowledgement. He was the odd one―the rose with thorns and no petals. Spending another sleepless night, in the morning he headed to school without stopping to have breakfast with the family. This was the second day in a row he was missing the breakfast. He didn't stop to greet them either like he usually would do.

The chill air brushed against his face, although Kyoya didn't feel it. Tachibana-san gave him a concerned look but didn't say anything. He drove the car slowly, the roads were frozen, and there was a huge traffic. It was almost frustrating how they were moving millimeter by millimeter. Kyoya opened the window and stared at the grey, lifeless sky above. At least, he could look up he thought frustrated.

At school, he noticed Renge Houshakuji, but she was alone, the honour student wasn't around. He looked at her, wondering why she was alone. But then the Morinozuka Takashi walked out of the classroom with his cousin, and Kyoya realized that the girl was waiting for him.

"And you claim she is not in your taste, Kyoya-kun," Tamaki Suoh appeared out of nowhere, "you keep staring at her in the hallways. Don't deny it."

Kyoya resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He gave his blonde classmate a reserved bow and greeted. "Good morning, Suoh-san," he said politely.

The blonde gripped his chin, looked towards the redhead and then at Kyoya and smiled triumphantly, "seems like host club has a new mission."

Whatever this new mission was Kyoya hoped it didn't involve him. Going by the content look on Suoh Tamaki's face he had planned something grandiose. The blonde cut the distance between them, and his smell caressed Kyoya's nostrils. Kyoya closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. He smelled good, but now that he had tasted the blood of that small-framed girl his brain didn't respond to anyone else's alluring smell; even something as savory and rich as this quirky guy's smell didn't sway him. He had developed a sort of relationship with Suoh, where he would tag himself along whenever he would catch him alone.

"It's getting colder," the guy complained, shifting his bag, "I hope the decorations will arrive before the ball. You know the ball you have promised to come."

He didn't promise. Kyoya looked at the guy sideways and raised an eyebrow. It was hard to keep up with Suoh's imagination.

* * *

 **A/N-I always wonder how to write Kyoya's mother as there is no real information about her. I tend to think she would be timid and shy. Considering Kyoya's not so sweet opinions on how women are weak and defenseless. And generally by how Yoshio Ootori was shown to act in the original story. And we always got to see more forceful women in the manga, like Tamaki's grandmother, or twins' mother. I hope you don't mind this kind of characterization. Please review your impressions of the chapter. I hope to post next chapter just as soon as this one.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I think I was quick to write this chapter**

* * *

Haruhi sat on the wooden bench outside the Ouran high school and opened her lunchbox. Part of her felt disappointed not to see the hunky second-year student, and part of her didn't care, because she was hungry. Her green knitted jacket didn't keep her entirely warm as her teeth were chattering loudly. The wind managed to slither through the fabric and prickle her skin. She shifted uncomfortably, leaning against the bench, trying to hide from the whips of the cold air that coloured her cheeks rosy pink.

She started to eat in silence, carefully chewing the food in her mouth. The peace was soothing. She felt a little tired and overwhelmed. The school had gone crazy as everyone was preparing for the host club's ball. She had promised Renge-chan to go for shopping and help her to pick the perfect dress. The prospects scared Haruhi a little, but a promise was a promise.

She heard footsteps and raised her head alarmed. It was Ootori Kyoya, looking at her with a mixed expression on his face. Her face brightened up seeing him. She couldn't explain why she felt so excited, but the feeling lingered in her mind and then headed to her stomach, making her feel all tingly and warm inside. He had paused in his tracks and was staring at her, as if unsure what to do next. She stood up mechanically and waved at him.

"Ootori-senpai," she called. "I am glad to see you. I already thought you wouldn't come."

"You were waiting for me," he said surprised, and lowering the book in his hand, walked towards her. "I don't want you to think that I came here because I want your blood."

It shouldn't have made a difference, but his words made her feel crestfallen, as if he had just broken her heart, "So, you have already eaten?" she clarified, as he came forward and sat on the bench, as far from her as physically was possible. He put the book in his lap and turned to face her. His glassy eyes sent chills down her spine. She tugged at her jacket, trying to get it closer to her body.

"I didn't," he said with a little caution, "but that doesn't mean you are obligated to give me your blood. I didn't think I would find you sitting here. I intended to read a book."

She stared at the book. It was another novel by Hiroki Hirayama. She loved reading the previous book that he had left behind. Haruhi cleaned her throat with discomfort and raising her eyes to his face, swallowed her lower lip. Does that mean that he doesn't want her blood or he just didn't want to bother her? She reasoned the best way to find out was to ask straightforwardly.

"I don't feel obligated," she explained, glancing at him. "I don't mind you having some of it unless you think it was not tasty."

He gave her a look; an intense, excruciating look as if she had just ripped his heart out of his chest. She blinked confused by his strong reaction and retreated until her back collided with the wooden backrest of the frozen bench. He looked away, and the expression on his face receded. It looked like he was weighing something in his mind.

"Your blood is very sweet," he finally said, slumping his shoulders forward as he spoke. "Sweeter than any other I have ever had, but it's your blood, and I have no intention to guilt or convince you into sharing it with me. That would be _unethical_."

He pronounced the last word with slight disgust, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards. Haruhi felt her heart pang in her chest with great exhilaration; it was as if she was content to hear he had liked her blood. Everything about this guy made her feel in a way that she found really silly when she reasoned rationally. The wind blew towards them and whipped his hair against his face. He brushed his hair back with his long slender fingers, and Haruhi noticed his eyes behind the glasses. Those eyes were fierce and promising. She shifted in her place as he caught her gaze.

"I can't believe I am convincing you to have my blood," she laughed nervously and looked away towards the school that glittered brightly in the grey, lifeless background. "As I said it's just blood, and it really doesn't bother me to share with you."

"You gain nothing doing this," he said with a sigh, "so why do you do it?"

"Should we only do things that gain us something?" she asked confused. "Sometimes people just help each other without any expectations."

She heard a small smothered laugh leaving his lips as if he found the idea deceptive, but amusing. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. She couldn't understand this guy at all. How he was drinking any blood with his mindset was beyond her. Did he complain every time he had to consume his food? Or did he try not to and that's why he was so weak the other day? She didn't know him, but she could tell that he was from a rich family, and there shouldn't have been any difficulty for him to obtain blood. That meant that he deliberately wasn't having any. There wasn't any other explanation. His reluctance made her even more convinced, and she frowned.

"Ootori-senpai," she said slowly, "I don't mind at all for you to have some of my blood. It's not like you had too much, and my blood recovers very quickly. I don't lose it forever. So don't worry about that, I am not feeling guilty or even obligated. I unintentionally happened to learn about your condition, and I think it would be best for everyone if you had blood. After all, there is nothing wrong with having a strange diet. All people are different with different circumstances."

"And how long can that last?" he said with a sigh, flipping the page of the book now without looking at her.

"You can have every day," she smiled. "I don't mind to meet here for lunch."

He looked at her again. This was getting crazy. The girl whose blood made his ears ring and body sing in excitement wanted to share her blood with him every day. His heart skipped a beat as he closed the book abruptly, taking in her soft appearance. Her shoulder length hair was waving in the air and ushering her smell towards him. His lungs burnt as he inhaled her alluring aroma. He closed his eyes, trying to resist. He wasn't in need of blood, the little amount he had drunk yesterday was so strong that his body felt very alive, and his heart raced. But even when he felt healthy, his senses couldn't withstand the temptations her blood was whispering enticingly.

He sharply breathed as his body stiffened, and Adrenalin rushed through his veins. His pupils dilated, and the desire flexed his muscles. He didn't move, just stared at her, trying to hold back his lust for her blood. Her pheromones coated his senses and clouded his brain in strange soothing warmth. He had never experienced anything like this, and for a short second his body responded with apprehension. Then her smell or whatever else it was comforted his nerves and palliated all the suspicion that crossed his mind.

His eyes wandered on her neck, and he noticed the small bandage still covering the wounds left by his fangs. "Does it hurt?" he asked sharply, "your neck?"

She reached the wound and brushed her fingers against the bandage, "No," she said, "I actually wanted to ask you if there was any reason why it healed so fast."

She undid the bandage, and Kyoya's eyes widened as he saw the red dots on her neck. They were healing, still red, but there was no hole―her skin had recovered. "It was very deep, and I was surprised to see the broken skin had repaired so quickly. Did it happen before with others?"

It didn't, and he was confused to see her neck with no harm other than the bright redness. Maybe she was recovering fast. Some organisms were quick like that.

"I don't think so," he said. "You might just have a healthy body that is quick to have collagen grow its fibers and close the wound."

She smiled, "Then there shouldn't be much problem," she stretched her arm forward.

Kyoya stared at her and then grabbing her wrist, rolled up the sleeve of her jacket and the sweater underneath. Exposing her soft skin to the cold air, he leaned down and bit next to her previous wound that was still bandaged. His fangs smoothly penetrated her skin, until the blood seeped into his mouth, coating his taste receptors and even though he had failed digestive system, his mouth watered with saliva, and her delicious blood dissolved in it, leaving his mind numb in pleasure. His surrounding blurred and faded completely as the warmth of her blood consumed him. Kyoya twirled his tongue in his mouth and shuddered as papillae welcomed her taste.

He drunk her blood, and with every sip, his body trembled in delight. His muscles came alive. His limbs felt hot and resilient. His nose was close to her skin, and he could devour her captivating smell that diminished any other smell around. Kyoya closed his eyes. He forgot about everything. This was not just food; it was some sort of soothing medicine for his worries.

This experience was so madly intimate that when he broke his touch and removed his fangs, he felt a strange vibration pass between them. She looked slightly pale, and he detected awe in her eyes. She had strange glasses on that looked quite a bit big for her, but he could see her coffee-coloured orbs. They were pretty. She didn't withdraw her hand, and he bent his head to lick the blood that pooled around her wounds.

Kyoya felt unnaturally strong and relaxed, today even more than he did yesterday. He held her hand for a few seconds, and they looked at each other in silence. Her taste was still on his lips, and her smell in his nose; so very satisfying. Her cheeks were rosy, and her lips had parted.

"I think I will be late for my class, Ootori-senpai," she said, pulling her hand.

"Call me by my first time," he requested not because he thought that would be more appropriate given their newly formed strange relationship, but because he wanted to hear his name from her lips. "Haruhi."

"K-kyoya-senpai," she said slowly and nodded with a smile. "See you tomorrow."

She attached another bandage to the new wound and taking her belongings, run towards the school. He needed to leave for his classes too. His body felt happy, and the anticipation of tomorrow and meeting her again curved a small smile on his face. Suddenly a small glint of light appeared in his life when he least expected it.

He stared after her leaving figure. Haruhi ran towards the school in complete bewildered over what just happened, what she had promised, and how strangely content she was about it all. Seeing Renge-chan's excited face in the classroom, made Haruhi frown though. The redhead had plans that were going to be torturous for her.

"Where were you?" the girl demanded, clearly upset that Haruhi left without saying a word. "You look kind of red. Were you outside, freezing?"

"You know I don't like staying at school during the lunch," Haruhi smiled, hoping Renge wouldn't question her any further.

"Oh well, doesn't matter," she smirked, "after classes you are mine."

That sounded like a threat. And it was in its own way one, because when the school was over she dragged the poor commoner into extravagant boutiques to pick up a dress for the ball. Haruhi felt out of her comfort zone in these highly sophisticated shops, where the chandeliers even glittered like gold and made the stupidest things look expensive. Renge-chan was trying dresses like they were some candies. Haruhi didn't get what the fuss was about. It was just a ball.

"Don't you dare to stand there and look so uninterested," her quirky friend was complaining. "I have invited Mori-senpai to the ball, and he had agreed. You can't just leave me alone and not chaperone me there."

"I have agreed to come with you," Haruhi confirmed, feeling like the girl would explode any moment, "I just don't see the need to get a dress, especially when they are so expensive."

"You are so difficult," Renge huffed and went on to try another one.

She didn't have the money to afford anything this store had, but she was sure that even if she was rich enough to afford, she wouldn't buy something as expensive. Clothing was clothing, and there was no point to pay insane amounts of money for something as trivial as appearance. As if it mattered how the dress looked, as long as it kept her warm and was comfortable. Funny enough the comfort level of all of these overpriced gowns was directly proportional to their ridiculous prices. In other words, pay money to feel awful, because someone might think you look better that way.

"So how do I look?" Renge emerged, opening the door of the dressing room.

It was a puffy, pink dress with frills and bows all over the skirt. Haruhi thought she was going to faint. She shook her head. "Something more tight fitting and less complicated would suit you more," she said, not knowing where the words came from.

"Maybe that red dress will look good on you," she added, pointing at a dress in a corner.

Renge stared at the said dress, and a wave of excitement passed through her features. She rushed forward and grabbed it, shifting it around, she gave Haruhi a thumbs up and run back to the dressing room. Haruhi sighed and leaned back against the wall. She had so much homework to do, and here she was picking up dresses with the crazy Otaku. She rubbed her bandaged arm and winced. It hurt. His concentrated face came to her mind, and Haruhi became thoughtful.

"So...?" Renge interrupted her musings, "How do I look? Will Mori-senpai lose his mind if he sees me in this dress?"

The dress was a delicate one, with a rather conservative cut on the chest, hiding, but emphasizing the girl's plump chest. It flowed down the floor and showed all the curves the redhead had. It suited her, and the colour went well with her skin tone and hair. Haruhi smiled.

"I am sure Mori-senpai will be impressed," she encouraged her.

Renge grinned like a maniac and shut the door to the dressing room. Haruhi breathed relieved. The mission accomplished. Renge Houshakuji found her perfect dress for the Host Club's weird ball. Soon the redhead walked out of the fitting room and headed straight to the register to pay for it. Haruhi's face wrinkled in astonishment when she learnt the price, but as long as Renge-chan was happy, she didn't have any protests.

"A few more days," she whispered, pressing the bag against her chest, "and I will be dancing with Mori-senpai."

Renge clapped excitedly and then turned to face Haruhi. "Aren't you looking forward to the ball, Haru-chan?"

Haruhi didn't want to lie, but the question begged her to do so. She pursed her lips and shook her head, "I hope it will be fun."

"Of course, it will be," Renge curled her lips, "If Mori is there, everything will be perfect. I am just concerned about you."

"Don't worry I will come," Haruhi reassured her. "I know you will straighten my legs if I don't, so don't worry."

The following week went uneventful for Haruhi. Renge-chan constantly gushed about how perfect Mori-senpai was and how much she wanted to kiss him. She talked on and on during the breaks, and Haruhi started to imagine what it was like to be in love. She doubted it was anything like what Renge-chan was experiencing, but maybe a bit of that only subdued and mild. The classes were fine as well. She didn't get too much homework, as the teachers knew that the students were busy preparing for the ball and didn't have the time for such "worthless" things.

Since she had promised Kyoya-senpai to meet every day for lunch, she did so. He was always there on the bench in the Ouran garden, waiting for her. Her heart contracted in her chest every time she saw him there. He was attractive she supposed, but she was sure she liked something else about him. There was something about him that made her feel different. She loved to sit with him and eat her lunch, while he was just staring at her. They would always talk about something unimportant. He was reluctant to answer her questions, but the conversations about books were quite pleasant to have. They both shared an affection for Hiroki Hirayama's works. He had even lent her a copy of the author's recent novel which Haruhi was reading with great enthusiasm.

The wounds from his bites were recovering quite fast. She got a few on her arm, but as it was winter her clothes covered them, and nobody had any questions for her. She still wondered how could they heal so fast, but was glad they didn't linger too long. At the end of the weak, the bite marks on her neck were faint rosy dots that were about to fade completely. When the ball date approached, it became nearly impossible to walk in the school and not hear someone raving about their dance partners. Everyone was very much busy, preparing for it.

* * *

 **A/N-What do you think about this chapter? Do you like how the story has progressed so far? Please leave me your thoughts.**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter turned a bit longer than it was supposed to be.**

* * *

Haruhi went through her wardrobe and realized that none of her dresses were appropriate for the ball. Quite honestly, she didn't care, but she knew that if she showed up in her usual attire, Renge-chan would be upset. She was a principled young woman and chose to keep her promises―a solid reason why she was reluctant to promise anything. She scanned the grim scenery outside the thin glass of the window and grimaced. The winter was dreary and dark. What was she supposed to wear at this time of the year not to freeze to death and yet look ball-suitable with her weird friend's standards?

She heard her father's voice from the neighboring room and sighed frustrated. She didn't want to give her old man any ideas and fuel his overly vigorous enthusiasm of dressing her up for any reason like a live-doll. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to approach him with her current problem. She took a deep breath, calculated in her mind how to phrase her request and walked towards the door.

Her father was plucking out the artificial eyelashes he had glued to his eyelids. He was so concentrated on his current task that he didn't notice her enter the room. She stood there for a moment, awkwardly glancing at the man and then cleaned her throat. Ranka turned towards her startled, but a big smile followed as he realized that it was his pretty, kindhearted daughter.

"Daddy's cute, little daughter!" he screamed, getting up and rushing towards her. He wrapped his hands around her in a tight embrace and then lifted her up and twirled her around. Haruhi scowled. Yes, that was why she didn't like being around him. It was just way too affectionate for her health. She sighed and was relieved when her father let go of her.

"You look frustrated," her father's watchful eyes screwed up and peered at her closely. "Did something happen? Is there someone at school treating you unkindly?"

His voice now became lower and agitated, and Haruhi had to quickly shook her head to stop the man further fantasizing possible scenarios. "I am fine," she said grumpily. "It's just... you know I am invited to a ball with a friend of mine―Renge-chan, I have told you about her, and I was wondering if any of mother's dresses would fit me."

Ranka's face was impassive for a second then strange emotions coated his eyes; excitement, sadness, yearn for something that was left behind a long time ago and a hint of fulfillment as if he had waited for this moment all his life. Haruhi expected her father to jump forward and suffocate her in his arms in delight, but he nodded quietly.

He walked towards the wardrobe and took out a big box. He gave her the box and smiled. "I hope it will suit you," he said fondly, and she noticed a drop of tear shining in his eyes. Haruhi blinked surprised, and her stomach clenched at her father's reaction. She never realized how much he had missed her mother. She nodded in response and walked to her room to try the dress on.

It was a periwinkle blue dress made of soft, smooth silk. Haruhi smiled, looking at the dress. She had seen a few photos of her mom wearing this dress, and she looked very pretty there. The dress had a narrow plunging neckline, which didn't expose anything as she was pretty flat-chested. The skirt was flowing down the floor, and the arms were adorned with point d'spirit, soft and lightweight sleeves that still exposed her wounds as they were just flowing down her shoulders and not really covering her arms. Surprisingly, it was her size. She must have grown a lot and didn't really notice.

People rarely noticed how they changed through day, and then suddenly one day the person in the mirror seemed a lot of more different than they remembered themselves. And today the person staring back at Haruhi from the other side of the mirror was a completely different girl. When she walked out of the room, her father broke in tears.

"Daddy's little Haruhi had grown up so much and became a beautiful woman," he said, tenderly hugging her. "You look like your mother. Kotoko would be very proud of you."

Haruhi allowed her father to show his affections, because she felt he needed it. She patted on his shoulder, and he let go of her.

"You are so cute," he became enthusiastic again. "Let me put some make-up on you."

Haruhi shook her head, "I am fine," she said firmly. "I don't want any make up. That's already ridiculous."

She was already sacrificing her comfort, dressing up like this. Make-up seemed another unreasonable and unnecessary thing that she didn't have the patience to engage in. Putting on her short-heeled shoes, Haruhi rushed to leave the house. She needed to catch the latest bus and head to Ouran High school.

She arrived on time. The school yard was filled with students, and even though it was cold they were dressed in light, formal gowns. She spotted Renge-chan standing at the entrance, impatiently pacing around and staring at the driveway. She had a long, dark-coloured coat on her shoulders that hid the red dress she was wearing. Her hair was gathered into a tight bun, and she had make-up on her face. Haruhi waved at her, and the redhead's face lit up, seeing her.

"I was so worried you wouldn't come," she said, rushing to Haruhi.

She took a moment to glance at her and let out a admiring sigh, "Wow! You told me you were not going to buy dresses for the ball, but this dress is very elegant and pretty."

"I didn't buy it," Haruhi smiled. "It was my mother's dress."

Renge smiled and nodded. She knew that her mother had passed away. Haruhi had told her a while ago. They both shared it in common and maybe in some sense that made them feel closer than they otherwise would.

"It looks very pretty, and the satin choker suits you too," she said and grabbed Haruhi's hand. "Now let's go inside. I am freezing."

The host club's ballroom was enormous. Its high ceiling had the world's most glittery and ornate chandeliers―the teardrop-shaped crystal fragments were reflecting the light through the lucid flow of air. The walls were decorated with outstanding pieces of classical impressionist art. The curtains on big oval windows were drawn, and the cold winter light came in, mixing with the warm hues inside the ballroom. The soft music touched Haruhi's ears as they walked in with Renge-chan. There were so many people inside, dressed elegantly, dancing to the soothing, exciting melody. Haruhi's eyes widened in admiration, and she wondered what she was doing there at all. This ball had nothing to do with her.

"This is amazing," Renge screamed. "Oh look, Mori-senpai is there. I should go and invite him for a dance."

The redhead didn't wait for an answer, she just rushed forward and headed towards the tall quiet man, standing in the corner, observing the dancing couples in front of him in a deep contemplation. Haruhi sighed and realized that soon she was going to stand there just like that and stare at everyone else, not knowing what to do, just like the short-haired man. Brunette smiled when she saw how Mori-senpai's face changed from its neutrally stoic expression into a look of pure horror and bewilderment. Yes, Renge-chan could evoke all kinds of strange emotions.

As the music played on, the awkward couple twirled in the ballroom, dancing softly under the enchanting melody. Haruhi stared at her bare hands and the small bandages she had used to cover them. She was sure everyone would notice them, and Renge-chan would ask her many questions, but apparently, she didn't inspect her so closely today as she was head over heels in love with a certain host and couldn't think straight with him around. Haruhi even covered the fading bite marks on her neck with a periwinkle colored choker.

She was about to find a quiet corner and relax there while her friend was dancing when she spotted Kyoya Ootori walking into the ballroom. He was neat and trim. His dark hair cleanly brushed back, exposing his light-colored features and pale eyes, staring from behind those glasses. Strangely enough, he looked a little confused as if wondering in his mind what he had lost there. Haruhi waved at him, and he, spotting her, paused in his tracks, stared at her for a second and headed towards her.

Her heart started to beat faster as he approached her. She blinked surprised at her reaction and gulped audibly.

"I didn't know you would come here, senpai," she smiled.

He looked away for a moment as if trying to place the reason he had walked into this ball and then nodded at her, "I wasn't really sure about it either," he said, politely shifting to her side, "Suoh-san insisted, and I decided it would be impolite to decline."

He knew it was a lie, a pure, shameless lie. He knew she would be there and came. It was quite strange for him to admit it himself, but it was a fact. He glanced at her cautiously. She wasn't wearing those awful glasses, and her pretty eyes were staring directly at him. There was nothing between _his gaze_ and _her eyes_. Those chocolate orbs were so deep that he could sense her soul in them. His heart flattered, seeing her small frame in that pretty dress. For a moment Kyoya thought that she looked like a princess, like one of those girls he would see often at family events, galas, charities. Only she looked better, more natural, more like a normal girl―more to _his taste_.

Being unnatural himself, Kyoya found her naturalism comforting. He spotted the soft, smooth ribbon wrapped around her neck, hiding the marks left by his fangs. His muscles flexed at the memory, and he had a strange vibration pass through him, paralyzing his body into sweet numbness. The dress was simple, but suited her, and he could see the outline of her curves, her bony chest, slim waist and her feminine shoulders.

"Renge-chan made me dress up and come here," she said awkwardly as a way of explaining her presence and appearance.

He didn't say anything, nodded and looked at the redhead who was dancing with Morinozuka Takashi. Everyone was dancing, and he guessed they were the only ones standing there and staring at others. He turned towards Haruhi and didn't know why he stretched his hand.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"Oh," she looked at him, pursing her lips in hesitation, "I have never danced like this. I am not sure I know what to do."

"Think of this as a teaching lesson," he offered.

"Alright then," she placed her hand in his, and they moved forward.

It was surprisingly easy to dance with Kyoya-senpai. He knew where to put his feet and how to lead the dance, and that left no place for Haruhi to make mistakes. Of course, she would stare at her feet from time to time to understand what she was doing, but her focus was mostly on his face. His face bore a tranquil expression, his eyes were cold as always. She found herself enchanted by them and had to shake herself mentally to stop the deep diving in those silver orbs.

"I have read the novel you have lent me," she smiled. "I like it. I think his ideas on humanism are quite interesting."

"I am glad you are enjoying it," he said, twirling her around masterfully. "It's one of my favourite."

When the dance was over, they politely bowed and stood aside. "That was very much fun," Haruhi admitted. His lips twitched slightly in a sign of agreement, but his otherwise neutral expression didn't change. He was very reserved in what he showed, and Haruhi found it interesting. She thought at times if Kyoya-senpai was a crime suspect, and she was the attorney investigating the case, would she be able to ever understand what he hid and what he thought. The idea was entertaining and always brought a chuckling smile to her lips.

She squeaked when someone grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her towards themselves. She turned terrified to see who it was and wasn't that surprise to see Renge-chan's face. The redhead looked thrilled, and her eyes had those passionate, crazy glints in them the girl had when she was reading an over-the-top manga. Renge smiled at her, shot a surprised glance at Ootori Kyoya and dragged her away.

"We need to talk," she said in her enthusiastic voice.

Kyoya followed the exchange with a bit of apprehension and bemusement. Houshakuji was quite the thing. She was the female version of Suoh, only in his opinion even worse. He sighed as the redhead pulled the little commoner out of the ballroom into the bathroom. He had a vague idea of what she wanted to chat about after her dance. She was predictable like most girls even though was not exactly the normal kind. Kyoya felt a bit annoyed that Houshakuji had taken away Haruhi, and now he was stuck there alone.

"That was a very good move, Kyoya-kun," he heard Suoh's self-content voice and turned towards him. "And don't you deny that you were staring at Renge-san. You do it all the time."

Kyoya's lips slightly went downward in disapproval, but he didn't say anything, just gave the leaving girls a last glance. Why was this guy always around? He would jump out of nowhere to annoy him.

"Dancing with her friend, I mean," Tamaki suddenly elaborated. "That's a good method to get close to her."

"Suoh-san," Kyoya said politely, "I think it's quite honorable for you to try to help others to form the relationships they want, but I believe it would be for the best if you abandoned your misconception that I like Renge-chan. And you seem quite oblivious for a person who prides himself on his knowledge of the romantic inclinations of others, because I am quite sure Kanoya-san would be pleased for you to invite her for a dance."

He gave the blonde a parting bow and walked away. Suoh Tamaki was oblivious to his own feelings and was only perceptive when things were about others around him. Kyoya had noticed for a while that two of her classmates were not so indifferent towards each other even though none of them very quick to come to a realization. The third Ootori son walked away, but he could feel the blond's bewildered stare at his back. His hand brushed against his cheekbones when he stood next to the tables covered with food.

If Haruhi was not dragged away by that loon, he would have a conversation with her now and could have inhaled her sweet aroma. He got used to her during the week so much that actually enjoyed her company. She wasn't pushy like Renge and wasn't annoying like Tamaki. She was a very much interesting, intelligent young woman.

Haruhi, on the other hand, wished to be at home in her bed with a mug of hot tea and her favourite books. Renge-chan was absolutely insane. She had dragged her to the bathroom like a maniac to tell her about the conversation she didn't have with Mori-senpai.

"He just listens to me," she was explaining. "I feel so special when he listens to me carefully and nods."

"That's good, but he rarely talk anyways," Haruhi said, rubbing her chin.

"Oh, Haru-chan, we need to find a boyfriend for you," Renge screamed, not paying attention to Haruhi's protests. "I mean I just can't think of anyone good enough. You know Mori is the only one, and he is already taken."

"Yes, absolutely," Haruhi agreed. "You two are meant to be together. Can I go home?"

Renge didn't seem to catch her question, because her face lit up as she started to think about the older student. "But he doesn't say anything about his feelings," she said suddenly sad.

 _Of course, he doesn't! The guy is super silent. Talks only when it's absolutely necessary if stares and nods can't convey the necessary information he needs to exchange._

"He will come around," she said, patting on Renge's shoulder.

Renge's mood instantly improved, and she hugged Haruhi. They talked a little more before deciding to leave the bathroom.

"Listen, what was the thing with you and Ootori Kyoya," Renge asked as they were exiting. "I saw you dancing."

"I guess it was unnatural for us to stand and stare at others," Haruhi replied thoughtfully.

Renge-chan nodded uninterested and waving at her walked towards Mori-senpai. Haruhi sighed and rubbed her aching temples. What was she supposed to do now? Where was Kyoya-senpai? Did he go home? She quickly searched for him and spotted him standing at the tables all by himself. Her heart twitched excitedly, and she walked up to him.

"Senpai," she smiled, "I am sorry, Renge-chan wanted to talk."

He nodded and didn't say anything. Haruhi's eyes suddenly fell on the food. There were the most delicious dishes she had ever seen in her life. She had forgotten about everything in that instant and mumbled loudly. "Can I eat this?"

Fancy tuna, she had dreamed about having some, and now the opportunity was there. Her mouth watered, and she gulped the thickness in her throat and without paying any attention to anything went on to try the tuna. Its delicious texture and taste in her mouth made her feel extremely happy. _Very tasty!_

Kyoya looked at her curiously as the little girl started to put the food one after another into her mouth. He had never paid attention to other people's eating. It was always nauseating for him, and he tried to avoid such situations. His senses were always clouded by the smell of rotting and dissolving food. But with Haruhi, he discovered it was different. All he could smell was her, and she smelled really good. She was eating so enthusiastically Kyoya wondered how good it could have tasted.

"Ill-mannered commoner eats like a pig, and I am not surprised," the voice was soft, very low spoken, but Kyoya was close enough to the person who spoke that he heard her.

He shifted his head slightly to see the person. It was Ayanakoji Seika, a first year student. He knew her from the many times he had seen her in different events his family went to as well. She was a pretty girl and always behaved pleasantly. Although, Kyoya's interactions with her were limited with occasional polite greetings. At some point his father even suggested to form a stronger connection with the girl's family with the intent of marriage prospects. But as Kyoya had his little problem, the old man abandoned the idea very soon, and he found his other sons to be too old to court the girl.

Haruhi didn't hear what the girl said because she was still pretty much enjoying the food and wasn't looking around at all. The comment though seemed quite strange to Kyoya, and his gaze lingered after the leaving girl.

"It's so delicious," Haruhi sighed, closing her eyes. "You should try some, Kyoya-senp―"

She cut herself and cleared her throat awkwardly and then suddenly she grabbed his hand. "You must be hungry too, Kyoya-senpai, let's go."

Kyoya didn't know why he let her drag him and to the women's bathroom no less. But the gentle way her fingers clasped around his wrist and her warm skin prickled his skin in excitement, made her so much more agreeable. She closed the door behind them and looked around cautiously.

"I am sorry," she said. "I was so taken by the food that selfishly forgot about you at all."

"I am alright," he said, in his brain still trying to place this girl into some category as he couldn't really figure out what was in her mind at all times.

She pushed away the frilly sleeves and extended her arm. There were a few bandaged on her arm. "But I don't have anything to cover the bite with," suddenly she sighed and looked around.

"It's alright," Kyoya retreated.

He didn't need blood that much, because her blood had a very strange long term effects on him, and he could go on days without having any. Because it was so delicious, he couldn't resist the temptation when she offered it every day during the previous week. Her fingers suddenly came to rest on his chest near his heart.

"I can use this to cover it," she said, pointing at the pocket square. "If you don't mind, of course."

Her smell was already driving him mad, and he just shook his head in anticipation. He didn't care about bloody handkerchiefs. She pulled it out of the pocket, and the smooth material got unwrapped immediately. Kyoya closed his eyes as his sharp teeth pieced holes in her butter-soft skin.

Haruhi winced at the contact and gritted her teeth. It hurt a bit every time his fangs poked holes in her skin, it stung and hurt. But she didn't feel anything else afterwards. The pain receded quicker with each bite, and she started to wonder if she just got used to it. She looked at him. He was so vulnerable like this, so childish, so desperate. He suddenly pushed her forward completely submerged in drinking her blood. Her back hit against the wall, and she blinked surprised when he quickly stopped and retreated.

His breathing was heavy, and he looked confused. He always had that strange look on his face every time he had drunken her blood. It was one of a shame, awkwardness, satisfaction and curiosity. They both were startled when they heard a noise―someone was walking into the bathroom.

Haruhi opened the very first door and entering in, closed it behind them. They stared at each other in the small compartment; their bodies were pressed against each other. He could feel her heartbeats, her pulse, her breathing. He gulped horrified at how crazy it made his body feel. His attention hindered when he heard the noise of newcomers. Two girls were giggling about something.

"Did you see Ootori Kyoya-san, the second-year student? He was dancing with that honour student from Hitachiins' class."

"Yes," the other girl responded quickly with a big giggle. "I didn't know he liked girls."

Kyoya's eyes flashed. Haruhi looked at him and swallowed her lower lip clumsily. He smiled. It was funny to be around when you were being gossiped about.

"Did you fix your hair? Can we go?" one of the girls spoke again.

"Yes, let's go. I hope I will get to dance with Tamaki-senpai."

When the door closed, both Haruhi and Kyoya breathed relieved. It would have been difficult to explain everyone else what they were doing in the girl's bathroom together. Kyoya let go of her and then only realized how tight he was holding her. He was so focused on not making any noise that he didn't notice.

"Your wound," he said, noticing that the blood had flowed out and pooled around the small holes. He applied pressure and wrapped his handkerchief around it.

"I am fine," Haruhi assured him. "Let's go, or Renge-chan will go around looking for me."

The rest of the evening went pleasantly. They mostly spent together, talking about school and books, and Haruhi ate all the food she could get her hands on. Kyoya realized that he really enjoyed the day regardless of the circumstances. It was heart-warming to spend time with Haruhi Fujioka. When the evening came, and they needed to part, he felt a twinge of sadness, a kind he had never experienced before.

He felt so lively that even the next day when Sunday morning came, Kyoya was relaxed and full of energy. He skipped the breakfast and instead relaxed in bed, thinking about his new strange friend. He didn't know if the word friend was suitable to be used in her reference. He had never used that word to describe anyone so it was hard to say if she was his friend.

By the time he decided to go downstairs, the breakfast was over, and he was quite glad about it. His brothers were playing tennis. He loved to sit and watch them play. He had never played himself as his health didn't permit to engage in physically exhausting activities, but that morning he felt very fresh. He followed the game slightly amused at how Yuuichi was getting angry. Akito was winning as always. He was a better player than Yuuichi. But then again, Akito spend a great deal of time working out, while Yuuichi was mostly not being so physically active. They both were lean and well defined, but Akito seemed more energetic and skilled.

Akito was smiling in mirth. He loved to tease Yuuichi, he also loved to tease Kyoya. The ball hit the ground, and Yuuichi threw the racket on the ground and grabbing his towel, walked away annoyed. Akito couldn't repressed his laughter anymore and when Yuuichi walked out he burst to tears.

Kyoya grabbed the racket from the ground and fidgeted it carefully. It seemed more lightweight than he assumed.

"Want to play little brother," Akito-san winked. "Right, you can't, sorry I forget all the time about how your food preferences affect your capabilities."

He felt strong enough to twist the bat and break it. He shook his head suddenly, "I want to play, Akito-san."

His elder brother gave him a look, "Are you sure? I was just joking. Are you offended?"

Kyoya threw the ball with a swift stroke towards Akito. He stared at Kyoya surprised but managed to respond quickly. They kept playing, and Akito was shocked by how strong and fast his brother was.

"Wow," he exclaimed, running forward. "How did you learn to play like this?"

"I just watched how you and Yuuichi-san were playing," Kyoya replied, sending the ball to his direction.

"You play too good for a person who just watches," Akito said, breathlessly. "But I am glad, because it is boring to play with Yuuichi-san. He always loses anyways."

They kept playing until the ball fell on the ground and Akito lost. Kyoya found it strange that he was just as excited and intrigued as when he won. He patted on Kyoya's shoulder.

"You seem to be energetic lately," he commented. "Since you stopped eating, you started to look better. Maybe human food was bad for you after all."

"Yuuichi-san and father wouldn't agree," Kyoya said, putting down the racket and grabbing a towel for himself.

"Well, you know father," his brother said, "and Yuuichi will say anything that will allow him to spend more time in his lab. Between the two of us Yuuichi is an actual weirdo."

He laughed and walked away, leaving Kyoya slightly baffled. It wasn't always that he and Akito spoke. Their interactions were minimal. He didn't like spending time with any of the family members, and whenever Akito was around, he would make some kind of comment that would frustrate or irritate Kyoya. It was strange for him to know that Akito-san didn't really think of their elder brother in more favorable light.

Yuuichi was a cold man with a little interest towards others. He spent a great deal of time in the hospitals and would work even on Sundays. He wasn't interested much in conducting business. He considered himself a man of academia and medical practice. That Sunday morning after the short game with his brother, he got dressed to go to the research center.

"You are leaving," his father's voice stopped him.

"Yes, father," he replied. "I need to work on the medication for Kyoya."

"Alright," Yoshio nodded. "I will wait for you in the hospital later today."

Yuuichi bowed politely and turned to leave, but Yoshio spoke again with a sigh, "That foolish boy didn't agree yet. I don't know what to do. It seems he feels quite well recently. Do you think the food I was forcing him to eat was actually poisoning his body, and now that he stopped, he feels so much better?"

"You know father that he needs to be treated," Yuuichi said, straightening his posture to an unnatural degree. "You know it's for his own good. His obduracy can cause a lot of serious issues."

"I know," the older man sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Are you sure that the medication you are working on won't do any harm if it doesn't help?"

"Absolutely!" Yuuichi replied.

* * *

 **A/N-what do you think about this chapter. Also, even though Ayanakoji was a third year student I decided to put her in the same year as Haruhi. I hope you don't mind.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I hope you like the progression of this story**

* * *

"You look very pleased," Haruhi commented, staring at her crazy friend.

Renge-chan brushed back a curl and gave her a playful smirk. Haruhi involuntarily felt shivers cascade through her body. One could never be sure what was in Renge's mind and how it could eventuate in for her. Houshakuji Renge had the habit of involving the poor commoner in her crazy antics, and Haruhi didn't have the stamina and nerves for that.

"I have talked to that fake princely type," she wiggled her eyebrows.

Haruhi decided that the fake prince was Tamaki-senpai. As she managed to deduce in her later observations of the strange host club, the members had categories and types they belonged to, to maximize the effectiveness of the host club's services. She never understood what that was supposed to mean, but Tamaki Suoh must have been the princely type. Renge-chan, of course, had her disagreements as a well-versed person in such matters, but Haruhi wanted to know none of it.

The host types were not a topic she was very much interested in, although, it was not difficult to conclude that they had the creepy type―Nekozawa Umehito, the two devils from her class―Hitachin twins, Renge-chan's sweetheart was the quiet type if there was such a thing, and his golden haired cousin must have been the cute type. A strange thought occurred to her as she was wondering what the redhead talked about with Tamaki-senpai. She wondered if Kyoya Ootori was a host club member what type he would be.

"What about?" she finally spoke, pursing her lips, waiting for the worst, as she already learnt that there couldn't be anything good that involved Tamaki-senpai and Renge-chan.

"You know how much I miss Takashi," she pouted. "I have asked Tamaki to make me the host club's manager, and he agreed."

"Oh," Haruhi nodded. "That's nice. I am glad you can spend more time now with Mori-senpai. _And hopefully less time with me._ "

She didn't say her last sentence out loud, but she wasn't sure Renge-chan would even take it seriously if she did. She was a very lighthearted girl with crazy streaks, but Haruhi liked her regardless. She found Renge's spirit quite uplifting. She realized that some of her friends from middle school like Mei shared the same peculiar obsessiveness. She wondered if she had a thing that attracted those people or she herself was attracted to that sort.

During the second period break she headed to the host club with Renge to help her with her new responsibilities. Mori-senpai was there too, sitting in the corner, shooting awkward glances at Renge's direction. Their relationship was a very amusing one to follow. There was some peculiarity that both of them shared. They say polar opposites attract, this was a concrete example of it, as there was no man less opposite of bubbly Renge than Mori-senpai.

When she was done helping, she walked back to the classroom, leaving Renge-chan alone with the silent guy. They had some sparkles pass through them, and she figured they wouldn't fancy her presence. She had left her bag in her locker and needed to grab it before she would head to her class. To Haruhi's surprise, there was no bag inside when she opened the door. She was surprised and didn't even have time to panic that all her money for the week was inside her wallet in that stupid bag. How could have her bag just disappeared like that?

She closed the door and looked around frustrated. Did she leave it in the Host Club? Maybe, she was so busy listening to Renge-chan that had forgotten completely about leaving her bag in the locker before going to the third Music Room. She sighed and decided to go back to check the club just in case it was there, but before she could leave the corridor something got her eye's attention through the window. The fountain bellow had a lot of random things floating in it. She was surprised to see books and notebooks and wondered who was upset enough to throw their bag... _bag_!

She rushed down the stairs. It was her bag in the fountain. But how did it even get there? A lot thoughts passed through her head and she couldn't say that any of them made her happier. Her locker was broken, but this was a nice school and students couldn't have done that. At least, she hoped so. Yes, her richer classmates didn't treat her with much respect but to be truthful they mostly ignored her and weren't very interested in her.

The winter air had chilled the water in the pool and darkened in colour. She tried to reach her bag and the books that had fallen out of it and were floating on the surface of the water, but they were far in the middle. She had to take out her shoes and socks to step into the water and go closer to them. She touched the water with her bare hands and her body prickled in anticipation. Haruhi sighed and undid the laces of her shoes.

When she stepped into the water, her body momentary was shocked and it was as if the cold burnt her. She winced uncomfortably, but continued to walk forward. Her bag was empty everything was in the fountain as if someone deliberately shook the contents of it into the waters and then dropped it there as well. She took out couple of her textbooks and pens from the water, but her wallet was missing. The cold of the water was becoming unbearable.

"What are you doing?" she heard a familiar voice, turned around startled.

"Oh, Kyoya-senpai," she said with a sigh, "my bag fell into the pool, and now I am trying to find my wallet."

Kyoya stared at the retrieved items on the flat surface of the pool and nodded. He was surprised to find her barefoot in the water. Wasn't she cold? She was supposed to feel the cold unlike him. Her bag and books were wet.

"Your textbooks are ruined," he commented. "Don't you think it's waste of time to spend in the freezing water trying to find things?"

"I can't," she shook her head frustrated. "The entire weeks of money is in my wallet."

She splashed the water, trying to place the wanted object and walked away closer to the center. He noticed how her body trembled in cold.

"How did it even get there?" he asked, curling his brows.

"I don't know," she said without looking up at him. "I thought I left it in my locker."

Kyoya looked up towards the Ouran high school. In front of them stood proudly the crazy building styled in the best traditions of Renaissance era, coloured in tender pink. The window above was closed. But Kyoya noticed someone standing there and secretly watching them. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, wondering who it could have been, but the figure quickly left, worried perhaps to be caught staring. He turned towards the quivering girl when heard her low gasp. She was very cold. Kyoya leaned down to take his shoes and socks.

"What are you doing, senpai?" Haruhi looked at him in disbelief. "The water is very cold."

"I don't feel cold," he smiled and stepped into the water. "I can't feel cold."

She looked at him stricken by his unexpected answer. Her short hair was waving as the winter breeze passed through its chocolate strands. Her fresh smell flew towards him, and Kyoya closed his eyes and hastily breathed in the air coated with her aroma. There was something extremely disturbing for him to feel so attracted to another person's scent and he caught himself at this thought frequently since he met the girl.

"How much money did you have in it?" he asked curiously.

"8000yen," she said. "All my grocery money for the week."

He thought for a short second to offer her that much money, so she would walk out of the cold water. He even thought he could explain his offer by pointing how she gave him _food_ with nothing in return. But the idea suddenly seemed very ugly. He knew what she would think if he suggested such a thing. After all, once blood was priceless in some sense. He nodded and sloshed the water around. He stepped on something hard suddenly. He knelt down and grabbed it. The wallet leaked of cold water, and everything inside was wet. The front had her picture, and he stared at her for a second. Her hair was slightly longer in the photo.

"I have found it," he said, waving the item. "You should come out of water before you get cold."

Her face brightened up seeing her wallet. "Thank you, senpai," she said with a smile.

She was shaking like a leaf by the time they walked out of the pool. Her teeth were chattering and clicking. "How come you are not cold!" she said almost like a complain.

"I don't know," he said. "I am not very sensitive to temperature. I guess it's just a side affect."

"Do you have any good side affects?" she smiled putting her shoes on.

He sighed. "What sickness does have a positive side effect!?"

"I am sorry," the smile faltered and faded. "I just don't think sometimes that this is a real struggle for you."

He didn't respond. He gave her the wallet. "Do you have a class now?" he asked, looking around.

"Yes," she sighed. "I think I am late for it. I will also have to explain why my books are wet. I guess I need to hurry."

She walked towards the school, leaving Kyoya behind. He looked after her and then up at the window where he spotted the person. How could have her bag been floating in the fountain if someone didn't throw it there? He was almost certain that the person was watching how she was searching for her belongings and fishing them from water. Whoever that was, Kyoya was confident, was a pretty sick person. He frowned and walked up to the school. She didn't seem like a person to offend anyone. Haruhi Fujioka was a nice girl. Someone, though, didn't like her, and he wanted to know who that someone was.

His steps took her to the section of the school where the lockers for the first-year students were located. He looked around. There was no one. He looked up and noticed a security camera. A playful, almost threatening smile appeared on his lips. Technology was a nice thing, he always said to himself. He would find out who was the prick who had thrown the girl's bag into the fountain. He fixed the glasses on his nose and walked to the cafeteria. The smell inside was heavy. Everyone had just eaten and Kyoya couldn't say he liked what he smelled. He wrinkled his nose and went to buy a cup of hot coffee.

The coffee in his hand, he headed towards the security camera room on the last floor. When he knocked at the door and opened it a plump, middle-aged man stood up immediately surprised and stared at him quizzically. Kyoya politely bowed and walked in.

"Good afternoon, sir," he said with a pleasant expression on his face. If not the fear of him exposing his fangs, he would have smiled fully. "I am sorry that I am interrupting your very important work, but unfortunately I have lost an item in the second floor, near the locker rooms."

"Oh," the man nodded. "You want me to find the person?"

"No," Kyoya shook his head. "I have noticed there are security cameras there. I just want to see who took it, so I can approach them. I am sure they want to return whatever they have taken."

"That would be easy," the man got up. "Was it today?"

"Yes around twelve, I think," Kyoya said, giving the man the most worried look as if he was very concerned about having his item lost.

"Yes," the security guy started to search for the video archived. "I will take a few minutes to look this through."

"You are working really hard, sir," Kyoya smiled and stretched him the coffee cup. "I am sure you didn't even have time to have coffee, and it must be very stressful to sit here the entire day and make sure we all are safe."

He had seen the man a few times. He always looked tired and had circles under his eyes. Only he never bought coffee in the cafeteria. It must have been too overpriced for him to afford. The man stared at the coffee cup, and small twinkles appeared in his eyes. "Thank you," he said, taking the cup. The corner of Kyoya's lips went up in triumph, and he walked closer.

"I think I can look up the file myself," he suggested. "You can just drink your coffee and have a few minutes of deserved break."

The man was a little confused by his words and pleasantness but got up from his seat regardless, leaving Kyoya alone with the computer. When the man went a little away, Kyoya stuck his USB into the computer. He went through the files quickly and found the footage. Kyoya looked around to make sure he was alone and then played the file. His eyes widened when he spotted Ayanakoji Seika walking to Haruhi's locker, opening the door and then taking out her bag.

He pushed the pause button and stared at the screen. He remembered the girl's low voice from the Host Club winter ball, and his body shuddered with disgust as the memory of her words came to his mind. Why was she doing this? Was there any reason for this pampered girl to treat the honour student like that? He heard the footsteps of the guard and quickly copied the file into his USB flash drive. He stood up, taking his own bag.

"All well," the guard grinned satisfied and relaxed, the smell of coffee stuck on his breath.

Kyoya bowed politely. "Yes," he said with a pleasant expression on his face. "I have found who I was looking for. I am sure they will want me to return the _favour_."

During his classes, he contemplated a lot. He was certain that he wanted to take action, only what kind, he didn't decide. Surely, the girl didn't think she could get away with this kind of things just because her victim was a girl of more humble background. He couldn't just let things slide. She needed to be warned. He didn't want to get too far away either. Everything should have been discreet, subtle. He loved things done elegantly and especially handling things like this.

"Thinking about Renge-chan," Tamaki Suoh said, sitting in front of him when the class ended.

"Yes," Kyoya said harshly. "If that makes you happy, I am thinking about her."

"I knew it," chairman's daft son smiled. "But seems like she is in love with Mori-senpai."

"How unfortunate," Kyoya mocked. "I suppose now you will stop talking about her, Suoh-san. You don't want to make either of us uncomfortable."

"Are you giving up so easily?" the blonde frowned.

Kyoya was sure that if there was one person to make him lose his iron temper that would be this oaf, sitting in front of him. His head was full of romance and love and friendship, and that annoyed him so much. "Suoh-san, I already told you several times that Houshakuji-san is not in my taste. I don't like loud, obnoxious women. And I prefer brunettes. So please for the love of God, don't talk about her anymore."

"Then who do you like?" Tamaki's question surprised him.

It created havoc in Kyoya's mind. A few answers came to mind that surprised him, and he dismissed them as soon as they appeared.

"Currently no one," he said with a frustrated sigh. "I will make sure you know once I start liking someone."

Tamaki gave him a doubtful look as if he was sure Kyoya was lying, but the raven-haired man had no time and patience to care. The blonde continued to pester him with questions, and Kyoya did his best to remain calm and respectful. By the end of classes, the youngest Ootori had a headache of his life. He never thought anyone could have exhausted him that much, but Tamaki Suoh managed to do the impossible.

He needed to catch Ayanakoji Seika alone. He didn't want to attract everyone's attention when he would confront her, and he planned to confront her. So Kyoya was very pleased to see the girl outside the Ouran high school gates alone after classes. She was looking around with impatience and checking her phone. She must have been waiting for her driver to come and pick her up. It was the perfect opportunity Kyoya couldn't ask for. He took out his cellphone and walked closer to the girl.

"Good day, Ayanakoji-san," he greeted politely.

The girl turned to him with surprise but smiled pleasantly. "Kyoya-sama," she brushed back a curl.

"It is quite cold, isn't it?" Kyoya said, looking at her and attempted to smile without showing his teeth.

"Yes," the girl agreed and then whined angrily. "My driver is late. I think I should speak about this with my father."

"It must have been colder for Fujioka-san then," Kyoya said, staring into the girl's eyes. "Someone had thrown her schoolbag into the frozen pool, and she had to step into the cold water to get her belongings back."

Ayanakoji blinked suspiciously and then grimaced. "Commoners in a prestigious school like Ouran don't have a place. She should have realized that long time ago before poking her nose into our school. I suppose people didn't like her being a student here."

"People who don't like other people for lack of wealth and status are petty," Kyoya said calmly. "Only classless and disgraceful people feel threatened by the presence of others who they think stand lower than them. Don't you agree, Ayanakoji-san."

The girl's face bleached, and she stared at Kyoya in disbelief. She shifted uncomfortably, staring at the road as if hoping that her car will appear and remove her from the awkward situation she found herself in.

"People of noble upbringing would deem it improper to bully others regardless of their status," Kyoya sighed. "I am sure you agree."

"Of course," she said hesitantly and cleaned her throat.

"Then I am sure you will apologize to Fujioka-san for throwing her bag into the pool," Kyoya curled his lips upwards.

"What? Why should I do that?"

"Didn't you know that the walls even have eyes? I am sure you don't want me to show this footage," he turned his phone, playing the video from the security cameras, "to Suoh-san. I mean he thinks of you so highly. You wouldn't want him to be upset knowing that you are not that graceful, after all."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all! I am just asking you to do what you are supposed to do, apologize for your misconduct, Ayanakoji-san."

"I can't believe you are defending that dirty commoner," the girl huffed.

"You might have forgotten, but I am still a member of the Ouran high school's disciplinary board. I won't allow another student to get harassed and neglect my duties. And if you keep doing what you did, I will have to take this case to the board president's review and then even to the school chairman himself."

The girl bleached even more and then sticking her nose up, walked away without saying anything.

* * *

 **A/N-I hope you like how this story progressed and it doesn't make you bored. Please leave me your thoughts and tell me if you like the chapter. As this is AU I have re-positioned some of the events from the canon and I hope you don't mind.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here comes another chapter!**

* * *

What makes a person a person? Sense of humour―one would say. Other animals don't really laugh, find anything ironic and can't really be sarcastic. Reason―another would argue. Humans are the only rational beings out there in the animal kingdom, regardless of how clever some animals may be, they don't possess the type of intellect that is distinct to humans. And there is morality, on the other hand, that makes humans very different; the human need to be right or wrong, good or evil.

Biologists have different outlook on what makes a human a human. They would probably tell you a lot about DNA and the information that it contains, making a being a human and not, let's say, a dog or a cat. But just having a human DNA doesn't make one a person, it just makes them a human. So regardless of how one's DNA is mutated, changed and corrupted a being can be a person. He wondered if he was indeed a person. A distinct person, one that was not just an extension of Ootori family, but a person in his own right. A person who would be still himself if he stopped being an Ootori?

Cold winter wind waved his hair as he walked through the familiar path to meet her. She became a strange addition to his person that he wasn't sure how to define. He would have liked to just think of her as a friend, but the meaning of that word was a nuisance to him. Also, they said giving names to things, stated the person's ownership over it. He wasn't sure he was ready to own a friendship. Maybe he was worried that he couldn't realistically own it. Something can't be owned by two people, and friendship had two sides. Kyoya scowled.

She was there, sitting on the bench, eating her lunch when he got there. She was completely preoccupied with her task and didn't notice him at all. He found it amusing but couldn't tell what was the amusing part. It just felt so, and he decided to allow for his mind to classify the notion in that way. His face bleached as he smelled her blood in the air. It was stronger. He blinked surprised and walked closer. She looked up and waved.

"Good afternoon, Kyoya-senpai," she said, moving a bit away to give him a place to sit.

"Are you hurt?" he said, staring at her confused. The smell of blood was stronger than it was supposed to be, and he could feel it.

"Um.." she raised her eyebrows and shook her head. The greeting question must have been odd. "I don't think so."

Kyoya later found it strange and even rude that he involuntarily moved forward to grab and check her, looking at her wrists and arms for any cuts. She didn't protest but gave him a confused look, and he retreated a bit ashamed of the obsessive way he felt about it.

"I am sorry," he apologized politely, "I felt a strong smell of blood. I thought you got hurt."

"Oh," Haruhi nodded in understanding. "I don't know. I am not hurt, but I am..."

She suddenly trailed off and blushed furiously. It was something Kyoya hadn't seen before. She was very laid back and found very few things to show such reaction to.

"Well, you know," she said, uncomfortably shifting. "I am a girl and..."

Kyoya lifted his head and sighed embarrassed. That was an awkward moment he wished he didn't have. "I am sorry," he apologized again, twice in a short conversation, it was a record. But he was ready to say anything just to get away from the strange way both of them turned pink.

They looked away for a moment. And then she laughed loudly. "Now, I will have one less secret every once in while," she said. "From you."

"I suppose this is uncomfortable for both of us," Kyoya said, pursing his lips. "I normally don't assume anything about anyone. I probably shouldn't have even mentioned it."

She didn't say anything, waved her hand dismissively and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry about it," she said. "You were... worried."

Was he? He didn't even think that his frantic search for a wound on her was because he was worried. But her words made him think and realize that she was probably right, not that he would admit any of it.

She undid the buttons on her wrist and stretched her arm forward. "Wouldn't this be a problem if you are already in the process of losing blood," he asked, hoping she would say no. And she did, shaking her head softly.

"No, it's fine," she pulled him closer, making Kyoya feel a bit of a child in her presence.

He leaned down and put his mouth on her arm. His long teeth came forward and smoothly went in. Haruhi already knew and didn't really react strongly to the pain. She wondered what he felt when he drank her blood. He always looked stiff but was relaxed now. His eyes closed, and she could observe him as his shoulders leaned down and muscles on his neck smoothed and the way he gulped her blood. He was close, and she could smell him. He must have used a cologne or had a very pleasant aftershave, or whatever it was that men used, because he smelled pleasant.

Appearance didn't matter, but she found his neat and clean grooming very admirable. Maybe he was the only one she stood so close to, and that's why she felt so different about this. His hair looked smooth and silky. The raven bangs fell down and covered his face. She wondered if it bothered him to drink easier, and she brushed back the strands with her hands. He seemed to stiffen at her touch. Maybe he didn't mind the hair at all. It would bother her. She let go of them.

He stopped drinking and looked up. His grey eyes bore shivers in them, and she thought she looked into a different world when they stared at her. She looked down at the wound and leaned over her bag to find a bandage. Kyoya looked at her cautiously. Why did she touch him? His body shuddered when she put her fingers on his head as he was drinking her blood. She just brushed back his hair, but the action woke different things in his head. It was a little too intimate to his liking, but she didn't seem to think much of it.

He looked at her carefully to see anything in her eyes, any indication of a ploy. But she looked as innocent as she was. She plastered the bandage on her hand and rolled down her sleeves. He rubbed his lips as he thought of the way he felt when she touching his head. It was a light touch, but it made him feel powerful things he didn't have words to describe. Maybe, the presence of another person who didn't shy away from him, knowing what was wrong with him, made him feel this way about her, he reasoned.

"Well," she said, getting up. "I need to go to study. Seems like I am not doing that well, and I would lose my scholarship if I don't put more effort."

Kyoya stood up. There was a chance for her to lose her scholarship; that didn't seem good. He wouldn't want her to leave Ouran.

"Are you struggling with anything?" he asked cautiously.

She pursed her lips and nodded, "It seems I am not doing well at math," she sighed. "It's alright. I will go now, senpai."

"Wait," he grabbed her hand. She stared back at him surprised. He usually was reserved. Today something was a little off about him. "I can help you. I am very good at all subjects. I could help you with your assignments."

"Really?" her eyes twinkled with excitement. "But when, where?"

"We can study after classes in the library," he suggested, mentally calculating how to get a quiet, secluded spot.

"Thank you, senpai," she looked ecstatic. The light and happy expression on her face as if shooed away the worries in his head. He closed his eyes. This wasn't good. He needed to stop to think of her this way. It would be a cause to a lot of trouble if he didn't keep his emotions in check. That would have been a proper Ootori thing to do. But he wasn't a very proper Ootori, on the other hand, Kyoya smiled sadly and bitterly. He was the odd Ootori, a disappointment for his father, a reason of tears and sadness for his mother, an experiment for his elder brother and the frightening youngest Ootori to the household staff.

His sister, Fuyumi, was married. When he was younger, she would come close and spend time with him. He loved his sister, but these days she wouldn't come often. Father wasn't approving, and her husband was a bit of a bore. She seemed happy with him, or pretended to be happy, Kyoya hopped the former. But it was hard to tell as she was an Ootori, and they didn't show their emotions. Kyoya sighed and got up. No, Fuyumi loved to show her emotions, she was a woman, after all, not held to the same standard.

And there was Akito, he thought as he walked back to school. He was not as wooden as Yuuichi, but he had a bad habit of sticking his nose everywhere. Kyoya couldn't even tell sometimes if Akito was truly interested in anything or just liked to make a spectacle out of everything. He was supposed to start working in the company soon and help Yoshio with the business, as their elder brother had no interest in it even though he was the true heir to their father's company.

He wondered sometimes where he was supposed to go. What path was he supposed to take to please his father? Become a doctor and helped Yuuichi or get a degree in business? Take away the burdens from his elder brother and let him do what he enjoyed? He knew that whatever it was, he would comply because family mattered most and whatever their father decided was a word of law.

And there was this woman―Haruhi Fujioka, and he couldn't decode her, understand her, explain her the same way he would all the other people. She wasn't necessarily a complex person, on the contrary, she was rather simple, and maybe that's why he was so shocked and crippled when it came to making any conclusion about her. And there was his weak heart beating in his chest as he remembered that he was going to spend more time with her after classes.

The rest of his classes went as expected. Suoh Tamaki continued to pester him, and he respectfully declined all his advances. Being fed and healthy, helped him to deal with the blonde easier, and he didn't avoid him, and the blonde took it as a sign of friendliness and decided to permanently attach himself to Kyoya. When the classes were over, he quickly apologized and hurriedly left for the library, ignoring Suoh's melodramatically miserable face.

The library was full, and people gathered there were chatting absentmindedly about trivial things. Thankfully, none of them was eating anything. He walked around and found her sitting in the corner with her books in front of her, absorbed in the equations she was trying to solve.

"You look tired," he commented, drawing the chair and sitting down. "Do you have any other problems at school other than the hardships of math?"

He wondered if that girl, Ayanakoji Seika, did something terrible to her again.

"Renge-chan became Host Club's manager," she sighed. "She drags me there every time she goes and I just don't have enough energy for that thing."

So, it was her friend Houshakuji exhausting her. He didn't like the idea, but didn't say anything. Perhaps, he could persuade her later on to refuse to go to that club of Suoh and have her energy sucked out of her like some... He was even worse, though. He had no right.

"She is very energetic," he said suddenly as he looked in his bag for the pencil. "Houshakuji-san I mean."

"She is," Haruhi laughed. "And now she came up with this insane idea of wanting to have her own movie made along with the host-club. And she managed to get my agreement to be part of it. I can't believe I have agreed."

"Movie?" Kyoya snorted. "What's it about?"

"God only knows, Renge-chan didn't disclose the script yet," Haruhi smiled. "But it must be some crazy thing, knowing her."

He nodded. And then they went on to look at the math tasks. She was smart and understood everything from the first time. He was actually impressed. He never tried before to explain anything to anyone, but he wasn't sure anyone would grasp everything as fast as Haruhi did.

"Now we need to calculate the velocity," he said.

"This looks more like physics than math," she sighed, and then she looked up and gave him a smile. "You parents must be proud of you. You are so good at all of this."

Kyoya glanced at her unfazed. "They are not supposed to be proud of something I am obligated to be good at," he explained in a detached tone. "Nothing my elder brothers didn't do before me."

"You are good," she insisted. "I am sure they are proud of you, even if they don't say anything."

"Are your parents proud of you?" he asked.

"My father," she smiled suddenly with a wide grin, "he is too over-dramatic about everything I suppose. And my mother... well, I came to Ouran to make her proud. I want her to be proud of me when I become a lawyer and help people."

"She wants you to become a lawyer," he asked, wondering what kind of person her mother was. She had mentioned the woman several times, and Kyoya had a certain image of her in his head.

"I don't know," the girl said a bit sadly and pressed her lips into a line. "I hope to become a lawyer like her, and I hope she would be happy to see me from above."

 _From above?_ She had... Did she pass away? This girl, Haruhi, had always that little twinge of sadness deep in her chocolaty eyes. It was so slight, so tiny that he had noticed only from very close look. Was it because her mother wasn't around anymore? He suddenly put his hand on her knuckles. The texture of her warm, soft skin under under his finger made his body flex.

"She is proud of you," he assured her. "I suppose even my father would find you admirable, and he has some impossible standards."

He smiled, and she did too. The library had gone quiet, and there was no one around anymore. He was glad to have no audience. He didn't want any rumours around the Ouran about his relationship with the honour student. Especially, when they didn't really have any.

He looked at her again. Those beautiful eyes behind her huge glasses, her coffee-coloured hair, strawberry-tinted lips. She was beautiful. She wore clothes a few sizes big on her, and he found it always strange, especially because the school had uniforms.

"Why don't you wear a uniform?" he asked. "You might get in trouble for it."

"I don't really have money to afford a uniform," she laughed. "And that horrid yellow dress looks terrible for me to even consider. To pay money for that is kind of a crime."

"You don't like yellow," he smiled, and his fangs were revealed. He felt comfortable around her to even realize that he actually smiled. He always let his guard down.

"It's terrible," she said. "I wouldn't say I don't like yellow, but an entire dress of yellow makes me feel bored out of mind. Is it by any chance your favourite color? I don't want you to think I am insulting your taste."

He chuckled. "Let me tell you a secret," he said quietly, coming closer. "I, too, think it's a terrible colour for a uniform."

"So it's not a favourite colour," she pressed.

Kyoya shook his head.

"And what is the colour that you like?" she asked.

"I like shades of blue and lavender," he said. "They look relaxing; not too bright and not too sad."

She smiled. "I guess. I think I like them too. Neutral colours that don't distract are to my liking."

They stared at each other. What was it to be a person? Was it liking another one? Was it feeling another one's emotions even though not being them? Was it a simple thing or a very complex maze? What made Haruhi herself? Kyoya looked at her again. Haruhi was kind, calm and intelligent. But were those things what made her herself? No, Kyoya reasoned. She was simply Haruhi, and she would still be herself even if she became angry tomorrow. She was herself when she was sad, and when she was laughing. And he liked this person, Haruhi.

"Let's be friends, Haruhi," he said seriously.

* * *

 **A/N- So I took another canon part (Haruhi's failing grades and being tutored) and had it turned into only Kyoya and Haruhi time. I hope you don't mind. I always wondered that bit above about vampire stories. lol They seem to never acknowledge and I wanted to make Kyoya and Haruhi uncomfortable. hehe**  
 **Leave me reviews and tell me what you think of the progression of their relationship so far! Lots of love to all of you.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I am not sure if you like this story :(**

* * *

Haruhi grinned as she walked out of the classroom. The cold didn't seem unpleasant this morning. In fact, she loved how wind played with her hair and whipped its icy breath on her face. When she woke up, she was well relaxed and excited for the day. It didn't even bother her that they were going to shoot Renge's movie. Her mind was occupied with something else, something genuinely warm and heart-soothing. She remembered again the honey lights in the library yesterday and remembered their conversation. When he said let's be friends, her heart throbbed in her chest excitedly.

It seemed to be a great birthday present. It was her sixteenth birthday yesterday. She had been alive for sixteen years, but somehow yesterday felt a special day. She didn't know why the idea of being friends with him made her so happy, but it did, and she decided not to fight against it. A stubborn part of her thought that her friendship with Ootori Kyoya wasn't genuine―merely a product of their preposterous relationship. She was, after all, a source of nourishment for him, and they would have never crossed paths if not that strange incident and her insistence to help him. This thought did poison and subdue the excitement she felt. It trampled down the butterflies in her stomach.

The probability of them being friends, if things were different, seemed low. Haruhi sighed and walked to the backside of Ouran high school. Renge-chan was already there, and she had gathered a great number of people as well. A group of people with professional looking cameras and different equipment were running around. Haruhi narrowed her eyes and stared at them in confusion. Renge-chan didn't tell her about all of this. Now she was really nervous.

"Oh, there you are!" Renge-chan chimed in, seeing her standing there paralyzed in shock. "Come here, soon it's your part."

"Who are these people?" she asked, staring at the guys wearing caps.

"I have hired a famous director to make my movie. You know, the one who made the movie about vampires; ' _Millennium_ _Snow_ '. Have you watched it? We should get together sometime and watch it. I know you might not like stuff about vampires and all, but it's really good," Renge screamed, pulling Haruhi towards her and shoving a stack of printed paper in her hand. "These are your lines. Learn them now."

"What?" Haruhi knitted her brow, staring at the script. "But you told me..."

Renge had already walked away. Haruhi sighed and sat down at the nearby bench. It was cold. She looked around to see if there was any snow on it, or it just felt so cold because it was a metallic bench. There was no snow on it, but it was frozen. Suddenly the harsh February weather appeared even more severe. She wished she had the excitement before she walked into the film-making site. She looked around to find all of her classmates scattered around, chatting with each other or staring at the handsome boys of the Host Club who were the main characters in whatever this movie was going to be about.

Haruhi cleaned her throat with a slight noise and stared at the script. It would be better to read it before her crazy friend decided to pull her up in front of the cameras.

 _'I will die of sorrow and pain if you don't grant me your love,'_ her brows went up as she read the line. _'I think of you every living moment, and I will run away with you if the whole world goes against us.'_

Renge-chan overdid herself. This was utterly ridiculous. Who was her character anyway? And why was this nonsense her first line? Where was the part that said what she was supposed to do while speaking these words. The script didn't look like one. Haruhi sighed frustrated. She had told Kyoya-senpai that they couldn't meet for the break, because she had to be in this movie of Renge-chan. She'd rather have her blood sucked than her soul tortured, reciting these stupid lines. Haruhi laughed, realizing that the first part of the metaphor was not a metaphor at all. People always had this overactive opinions about having someone else touch a part of their body or even have part of it. But she thought it was an ordinary act, there was nothing intimate or personal in giving her blood to another person. Strangers did it all the time in the hospitals.

Body was a body, something that wasn't very unique about each person. It was something exposed to the external world. It was tiny fraction of herself; a small representation. It would have been intimate if she had her soul, her self, her thoughts open and vulnerable to the scrutiny of others. Those things that no one else but her had access to, that would make it intimate, sharing feelings and thoughts. There is nothing intimate about sharing a part of you that can't be hidden. One's feelings was always hidden. She could look at people and see the expressions on their face. Renge-chan smiled, and Haruhi could guess that smile means happiness, but she wasn't sure that whatever she felt when she was happy was the exact same thing Renge did now, right here as she smiled.

But yesterday in the library something intimate happened. She had shared a part of her; the part that longed for her mother, the part that missed her childhood, the part that was fragile and vulnerable. It felt intimate, and she knew that he reciprocated. He did tell her about his family. He spoke of his own opinion about things that were hidden in his mind. Haruhi's heart flattered at the thought, and the poison that was in her stomach started to fade away, replacing with sweet epinephrine, rushing to overtake every single cell in her body.

"What are you smiling about?" she heard Renge-chan's voice. "You like the script, huh? I wrote it with Suoh."

"Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi asked surprised but then nodded in understanding. "Should have seen it coming."

"It's going to be a great movie," the girl screamed. "I have put a kiss scene between me and Takashi."

"But don't you want your first kiss with him to come naturally?" she asked.

"That's true," Renge sighed. "But I don't think he will act so quick. He didn't even ask me out yet. Kissing him might quicken things, and he will realize that he likes me."

"But the entire school will see it," Haruhi said, looking at the students gathered. "Would that be okay with you?"

"I have to do what I can to make him mine," she said excitedly. "You would understand if you were in love with someone. We should probably work on finding a love interest for you."

"I already have a love interest," she smiled. "It's graduating Ouran with honors so I can go to a good university."

Renge's brightened face darkened, and she rolled her eyes. "Bore!"

Haruhi wanted to respond back, but her attention went to a girl standing in the corner. It was her classmate Ayanakoji Seika. She looked at her with such an angry expression that Haruhi felt shivers go down her spine. She wondered what made the pretty girl so angry, and why she was staring at her like that.

"Haru-chan come forward," Renge pulled her up. "You need to get your make up for the scene."

.

Kyoya stood far away from the rest of students and looked at everything going in the yard of Ouran High School with a bit of resentment. Houshakuji had raised such a clamor he could hear them even from far away. He couldn't meet Haruhi because of this nonsense and that made him really disgruntled. He swallowed the thickness in his throat, pursing his lips as he realized how much he craved her company. He had never ever wanted to spend time with any other human being. It felt surreal. He clenched his hands.

She had said _yes_ yesterday. The reassurance that she wanted to be his friend and part of his life made him feel a peculiar type of pride as if he had accomplished something. He had regretted the moment he had asked her to be friends. He had regretted and felt relieved afterwards that he dared to risk. It was spontaneous and unlike him. But he felt very very good after she said she wanted to be his friend. For the first time. He had felt free, unimaginably himself. Her ' _yes_ ' gave him a feeling of a self, of being autonomous.

His eyes lit up with happy twinkles when he spotted her, walking to the filming site. She stopped and stared at everyone with fear. He blinked surprised, wondering what made her feel so. But then redhead jumped in and pulled her towards the benches on the side and shoved bunch of paper into her hands. For a second, he wanted to run towards her and greet her and ask her how she was doing. But then he realized that it wouldn't be a good idea to attract the entire school's attention. His father would know of it the moment he does something like that, and he sure didn't want his father ever to be where Haruhi was involved.

 _Was he being protective of her or himself?_

She smiled. He wondered if she read something funny in those papers in her lap. She was busy with the filming and he decided to read a book instead of looking at the others. He would ask her later on every question he could think of about the day that they didn't spend together during the break. The book he was reading was really interesting. Haruhi would like it too. They started to share books with one another. He liked her books because they smelled of her. Her fresh, sweet, flowery smell that made his mind go blank, feel relaxed and euphoric. He looked happier recently. His father didn't suspect anything, and he hoped it would stay that way.

He didn't know what would be the old man's reaction, but he knew that it wasn't anything he would want Haruhi to know about. He couldn't let him know. Something loud grabbed his attention, and Kyoya stood up. There was a panic in the filming site. Someone was injured. He spotted the Hitachiin twins chasing a few other guys. From the look of their uniforms they didn't belong to Ouran. And then he smelled it. He smelled the familiar scent of blood in the air, rushing towards him and making the endorphins spread in his brain.

It was the scent of her blood. He searched for her among the people who were gathered in the yard and couldn't find her. He didn't know why he panicked. He had never felt this way. He had never felt so worried about another person. He walked down in quick, hasty steps, forgetting all reason and thought, forgetting that he was supposed to keep his distance from her when there were others around.

"Haruhi, please wake up," Houshakuji was screaming tears in her eyes, shaking the unconscious girl.

Kyoya's eyes widened when he saw metallic tubes around her body. They must have fallen on her, and someone pushed them aside. It must have been Morinozuka Takashi who was trying to calm down the redhead.

"Someone get a doctor here," the girl was screaming.

Kyoya stood there paralyzed for a few seconds. He stared at her, and the thought that something terrible happened to her made him sick. Everyone was in panic, and no one seemed to know what to do. After a moment of standing there immobile, Kyoya rushed forward. It seemed everyone was surprised by his sudden appearance. He moved through the crowd and rushed to the girl lying on the ground in the cold snow. When he reached her and grabbed her hand, Houshakuji stared at him shocked, but didn't protest. When Kyoya found her pulse beating, his own heart found its life at the same moment.

"Is she alright?" Renge said through her sobs. "Is she alive?"

Kyoya looked at her. "She is alive," he said, and his voice didn't come out concerned. It was dry and neutral which surprised Kyoya, but he was glad even though he felt like the world was spinning around him. "There is a possibility that her neck or spinal cord is injured."

"What does that mean?"

"Did you move her?" he asked. When she didn't respond he asked this time in a more cold and loud tone. "Did you move her?"

"No," the girl cleaned the tears on her cheeks with the sleeve of her jacket that she wore over her uniform. "Should I have?"

"No," Kyoya sighed and then he turned to the gathered people. "Please move away. You are standing too close. She needs to have some air to breathe."

He realized that the lack of strong reaction to his appearance was due to the fact that everyone in the school knew about the Ootori family and their role in the medical field in Japan. He was from a family with long history in medicine. They didn't make anything out of it, and Kyoya was thankful.

"We should take her to the nurse's office?" Renge said.

"No," Kyoya protested, "her spine might be broken. We can't move her. Did anyone called for doctor? We should just hold her still until the doctor arrives."

"Tamaki-sama went after a doctor," someone said from behind and then whispered in a lower voice, "All this trouble for a stupid lowly commoner."

Kyoya turned to look at princess Ayanakoji, but before he could give her a warning look, the redhead sitting in the snow next to Haruhi's unconscious body, jumped up and pounced at the other girl.

"You stupid bitch," Renge screamed and reached for the other girl's hair to everyone's astonishment. "You think I don't know that you have called those thugs to attack Haruhi. You think I didn't notice all the nasty things you do to her during classes. You think I will tolerate you doing this anymore."

Kyoya hardly kept his eyes from growing wide. The redhead practically wrestled Ayanakoji into the snow, pulling from her long, silky hair.

"Let me go," the girl whined. "You are insane."

The eldest Morinozuka son pulled Renge up and tried to keep her away from the other girl.

"Let me go, Takashi-kun," Renge fought against his hold. "This bitch needs to pay. I am a terrible friend for letting this cow to get away with so much crap."

All of this was enough to shift the attention from Kyoya to Renge. And no one even noticed when the injured girl opened her eyes.

"Haruhi," Kyoya held her shoulders down, worried to let her shift or move. "Can you hear me?"

She stared into his eyes, and there was a light confusion in her chocolatey eyes. She stared at him for a few seconds and then moaned in pain. "I am fine. Let me get up."

"No," he protested. "It might be dangerous. Do you feel any pain in your back?"

"No, I am fine," she sighed, "I think I might have injured my leg though."

Kyoya looked down at her leg and quickly rolled up her pants. There was a small gush on her leg. The blood was leaking. That's what he had smelled. When he tried to touch the skin around the wound, she winced. He looked up at her. She seemed to have a normal breathing, and her body didn't seem to be sweating. She sat up suddenly with difficulty.

"Oh, Haruhi," Renge pushed away her love-to-be's hands and ran to her, "Are you fine? I was so scared."

"I am," she smiled, but her smile faltered when she tried to move her leg. "Ughh, that hurts."

"You are losing a lot of blood," Kyoya informed her and then suddenly he leaned forward to her surprise and draped his hand on her waist and scooped her up in his arms. She nodded, but suddenly lost her consciousness again and her head fell closer to his chest where he could smell her hair.

"Thank you, Ootori-san," Renge said and her voice was serious, he nodded and they walked towards the school infirmary. The redhead stopped and looked at the disheveled Ayanakoji-san. "We are not done," she promised.

Her body was so light. Renge-san followed him. They walked in silence, in hasty steps. Kyoya looked at the redhead sideways. He had underestimated this girl. She was a pretty good person. Crazy, but good. She still seemed pretty upset about what has happened.

"Houshakuji-san," Kyoya spoke politely, grabbing the girl's attention. "May I have the video-recording from your cameras."

"Why?" she asked surprised, going into a defensive mode.

"I would like to review them. If whatever you say about Ayanajoji-san is true, I think it would be better to take matters into the school disciplinary board."

"Oh," the girl, scratched her head. "Of course! Honestly, I didn't know you were actually a good person."

How blunt! Kyoya would have chuckled if not the unconscious girl in his arms, bleeding from the leg injury. "Before anyone can do anything about it, could you please obtain them for me?" he asked, hoping to make the girl go away.

She stopped and looked at him with determination. "You are right," she said, "Take Haru-chan to the nurse, and I will go and get the recordings."

Kyoya nodded, and the girl ran back. He kept walking to the school and looked at Haruhi's face. She seemed relaxed. But her leg must have hurt a lot if she lost her consciousness again. He hoped it was nothing serious. Her body was warm and soft. He could feel it even through the thick jacket she was wearing. He walked into the nurse's cabinet, and the woman jumped up, seeing a student carrying another one.

"What has happened?" she screamed. "Put her here in the bed."

The door was opened and a doctor walked in. Suoh-san stepped in after her. The blonde looked surprised to see Kyoya and awkwardly waved at him. Kyoya nodded slightly, and the classmate left the room.

"What has happened to her?" the doctor asked, quickly setting to check her.

"I wasn't there, but heavy objects had fallen on her," Kyoya said. "Would she be alright?"

The doctor smiled and nodded. "Yes, she seems alright. Nothing is broken."

Kyoya sighed with relief, but the big cut on her leg that the doctor was disinfecting made him feel uncomfortable. The woman noticed and smiled.

"Don't worry," she said playfully, "I am very good at putting stitches on wounds. There will be no marks left on the body of your lovely girlfriend."

She winked at him, and Kyoya involuntarily blushed. He didn't even find the words in his head to protest or say anything. He wasn't even thinking about her body or any scars on it. He had left a few himself on her arms. They were healing, but he had never thought that girls or anyone for that matter cared about perfect unblemished skin.

"She is pretty," the woman said, taking her tools into her hand. Kyoya was so lost in his thoughts that he dumbly nodded and made the woman smile even wider.

"You need to leave, young man," she said softly. "I have to take her clothes off to make sure there are no other injures or cuts on her body.

"Yes, of course," he mumbled embarrassed and walked out of the room. "Thank you, sensei."

He rubbed his face when he closed the door behind him. What was it? Why was he acting like a fool? He had tried not to draw attention towards him and her only to carry her in his arms into the school's infirmary and basically admit a relationship with her that he didn't even have to a doctor. He was out of his mind. But when he saw her body on the ground he was so scared, he didn't think about any of those things even for a second. Was it even normal to feel this way?

"Kyoya-kun," he turned to face chairman's son. "Are you alright?"

"Of course," Kyoya straightened himself. "It's a bit shocking that a student got attacked during the class hours in the school, don't you agree?"

"Yes," the blonde nodded sadly. "I just went to talk to my father about this. They have taken them to the police; the ones that attacked her. I don't know why they even picked on her. She doesn't seem the kind of person to be involved with that type of people. I don't know her well enough. She is a little quiet and doesn't talk much when she comes to Host Club with Renge-chan, but―"

"Excuse me, Suoh-san," Kyoya interrupted, "I need to talk to Houshakuji-san."

"Of course," the blonde nodded in understanding.

The redhead knew valuable information. He would make sure that Ayanakoji Seika stayed the hell away from the girl. He didn't really care if anyone would start questioning his motives. She was his friend, after all.

* * *

 **A/N-I decided to include this part from canon, too. The relationship between Haruhi and Kyoya I hope is progressing naturally and it doesn't seem forced. Sometimes it's hard to tell when you are writing it and re-writing a few parts. I want to know your opinion on the chapter and hope you all are doing well. For the record, "Millennium snow" is a manga from Bisco Hatori, the person who made 'Ouran High school host club' and yes, it's about vampires. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hope you like this chapter :)**

* * *

"Does your leg still hurt?" Renge-chan asked as they were walking down to the Ouran High School gates.

"No," Haruhi smiled. "It was just a small wound. It had almost healed."

Renge gave her a look that meant she didn't believe her. Since the incident a week ago, the redhead asked her about her leg all the time. When Haruhi woke up in the infirmary, she was surprised to see Kyoya-senpai sitting next to her with Renge. She also thought the girl wouldn't leave her alone, asking all kinds of questions and making up a wild story of a romance between him and the older guy. But she didn't. In fact, she acted like it all was how it was supposed to be, and Haruhi was very suspicious in the beginning. But as the week went on, and she never spoke of him, or even mentioned Kyoya, Haruhi realized that Renge didn't think Kyoya helped her because they were close.

Mid-February weather was harsh. It stopped snowing, but the cold was persistent, and Haruhi had to wear more clothes than she normally did. Her jacket was old and worn out; it didn't warm her body the way she would like. She told herself that the winter was about to end, as she didn't want to spend money on a new jacket. It was better to save money.

Ayanakoji Seika was standing in the yard with a few friends of hers when they passed by. Renge's demeanor changed immediately, and she gave the other girl her meanest glare. When Ayanakoji smiled back in response, Renge went stiff and fumed in rage.

"Don't look this way," she said to the other girl, fixing her with a scowl. "Oh, God! I hate her so much."

"Renge-chan," Haruhi put her hand on her shoulder, "just forget about her."

"I can't believe you are so forgiving," Renge screamed frustrated.

"I am not necessarily forgiving," Haruhi smiled, pulling the girl after her to avoid any further interaction between the redhead and the princess. "I just don't see the point of worthless accusations. You know very well that there is no proof she had made anyone attack me. I am only an honour student in this school, and I would like to stay so, even if it meant to tolerate someone like Ayanakoji-san."

Renge scoffed angrily and shook her head. "I should have just plucked out all of her hair when I got the chance."

"It's alright," Haruhi said softly. "Don't worry about me, Renge-chan. I don't really care about her."

"Are you sure?" Renge asked upset, and then she rolled her eyes furiously. "You know, I thought that weird Ootori would do something about this. He said he would and even took my film footage. I can't believe he lied to me to get hold of my masterpiece."

Kyoya-senpai had taken Renge's film footage? Why would he do that?

"To do what?" Haruhi asked involuntarily.

"Oh, he told me he will make sure to complain about that little jerk Ayanakoji's behavior. I was actually surprised, but then he helped you to the hospital, and I thought maybe he was a decent person."

Haruhi wondered why he would take Renge's film footage, but didn't say anything to Renge. She would ask him later on. She was sure he had his reasons. After all, they were friends. He told her he wanted to be her friend, and he had helped her to the hospital.

"It's Valentine's day tomorrow," Renge changed the topic of the conversation to Haruhi's relief with a loud, crisp clap. "I should make the tastiest chocolate's for Mori-senpai."

"That's a good idea," Haruhi nodded. "I am sure he will be happy to receive chocolates from you."

"Yes," Renge exclaimed, "and you are going to help me to make them."

"What?" Haruhi lifted her hands in protest and stepped back panicked, as if Renge was trying to take her hostage.

"Yes," Rene said, crossing her arms disapprovingly. "I didn't kiss him during my film, because of your injury, and now you should help me to make the perfect chocolates."

Haruhi stared at the redhead shocked and shook her head. Renge rushed forward and grabbed Haruhi by shoulders. "Please," she said blinking her eyes coquettishly. "You know I am terrible at cooking."

The way the redhead looked at her made Haruhi squirm uncomfortably, because she knew she was going to agree and regret later on.

"Fine," she sighed.

"Good," Renge clapped again. "I have told my driver to deliver the chocolate making ingredients into your apartment. We should hurry."

"Why would you do that?" Haruhi mouthed behind the girl, shaking her hands in the air. "What if I didn't agree to make them with you?"

"I knew you would agree," Renge smiled.

"What are you? A psychic?"

"No," the redhead smirked, "I just know you."

Agreeing to make anything for eating with Renge was like agreeing to let a bulldozer dance a salsa in your kitchen with a legless dinosaur. Haruhi realized this as soon as Renge started to _see_ _preparations_. After hours of convincing the redhead to leave the kitchen and let the chocolate making to her, Haruhi found herself in the middle of completely dirty kitchen. All the dishes were dirty, the chocolate Rene was trying to make had burnt. The smoke detectors turned on several times. The floor was slippery. It was a real disaster. If someone told her that one could make this much mess just from trying to make a few Valentine's day chocolates, Haruhi would laugh off, thinking it must be a gross exaggeration.

It took her another few hours to clean the mess the redhead made and then start making the chocolates herself, while Renge sprawled on the sofa to read her favorite manga. Eventually, she managed to make several different chocolate cons. And put them away to cool down. Renge had bought very pretty wrap papers, and Haruhi soon found herself wrapping the chocolates up and tying them with the prettiest red bow.

It was really beautiful, soft like silk and delicate like a rose petal. They must have been very expensive, and Haruhi wondered how much money Renge-chan wasted on them. She used almost all of them to tie the wrappings for chocolate, having only one left unused. She mused that she could probably make another chocolate for Kyoya―after all, he was her friend, and it was customary to give chocolate to male friends. But what use would he have of a chocolate. It was as useless for him as pair of high heels were for her.

"Oh, they are so pretty," Renge beamed, staring down at the wrapped chocolates that Haruhi had prepared.

"I hope this is enough for you to forget the lack of kiss in your film," Haruhi chuckled, smiling at the spirited girl kindly.

"It is," Renge clapped. "You are so good at this. I swear you could ran the world's best sweets shop."

"Well thank you very much, but I hope to be a lawyer not a cook," Haruhi tsked.

"You know what," Renge spoke her mouth full of chocolates, "Take some! Isn't there anyone you would like to give chocolates to?"

Haruhi shook her head. "I will eat them myself," she smiled and then looking down at the only unused bow, pursed her lips. "Can I this bow? It's so pretty."

"Of course," Renge-chan screamed.

.

It was one of those days Kyoya hated the most. The school went crazy on this day. The girls acted all secretive and strange, giggled and whispered into each other's ears and... and most importantly this day was unbearable for his nose. The rotten smell of dissolving chocolate eaten during breaks in all classrooms made Kyoya mad. When he walked into the classroom, he wasn't surprised to find Suoh counting the chocolates secretly left by the army of the admiring girls. Kyoya rolled his eyes, seeing the blond fool acting like a maniac.

"Oh, it's you Kyoya-kun," the chairman's son exclaimed. "I think I am going to break my last year's record. This year I have received more chocolates."

"That's great," Kyoya said in an unenthusiastic tone, hoping to spare himself the guy's further attention.

He sat down and put his bag aside. The smell of chocolates engulfed his senses. He hated Valentine's day. What a ridiculous holiday! His eyes widened when he found couple of chocolates stacked under his desk. Kyoya snorted. His first reaction was to grab and throw them into the trash bin. He could never taste them anyways, but then another thought crept into his mind. He couldn't eat them, but Haruhi could, and she wouldn't like the idea of wasting food. She told him so.

"Seems like your recent looks had gotten you a few admirers, Kyoya-kun," Tamaki spoke, throwing his arm around the raven-haired boy's neck to the latter's complete horror.

He pressed his lips into a tight line, and did his best to remain calm. "Thankfully I could never surpass you in the number of admirers, Suoh-san," Kyoya said, carefully placing the blond's hand away from his shoulders and neck.

"If you joined the host club, I am sure―," the Tamaki started enthusiastically, but was interrupted by Kyoya.

"Thank you very much, Suoh-san, for your thoughtful offer," he said politely but in a colder tone, "I am afraid I can't spend time doing extracurricular activities as such."

"But you will see Renge-chan more," Tamaki pouted. "I know that you stepped in to help her friend the other day, and it was very nice of you, but it is not enough to hold her attention. You need to be close to her, and she is the club's manager."

Kyoya sighed. He didn't respond. Tamaki Suoh had made his mind, and there was no way to convince him otherwise. He grabbed the chocolates and put them in his school bag. He would give them to Haruhi later on, during the break when they meet. He smiled when he thought of the pretty eyes of the brunette, and the possible smile she would give him at the sight of the chocolates. He found it strange that he missed her in a way and was very worried about her after the incident.

He still didn't decide how to proceed with Ayanakoji case. That girl needed to slow down, but Kyoya knew he couldn't straightforwardly blame her in anything that had happened on that day. He had no proof that it was the little princess's fault that Haruhi got injured. Although, he still could have complained about her behavior and show the footage from the security cameras where she threw Haruhi's bag into the pool. But was that enough? She would just get a detention and then go back to harass Haruhi even more. That wasn't good enough.

"Did your father find out how those thugs got into the school?" he suddenly asked, turning to Tamaki.

"The police questioned them. I don't think they will come back anymore," Suoh scoffed and then added with a grimace, "although, the security around the school will get tighter because of it."

"I see," Kyoya said blankly, not wishing to give the blonde any ideas.

The conversation to Kyoya's relief ended there as the teacher walked in, and the class started.

It was really bored. It almost appeared the time went unintentionally slower as if he was standing close to a black hole while the rest of the world moved around with a speed of light. It wasn't the first time Kyoya found himself detesting the long, useless monologues of his teachers, but for some reason they seemed unproportionately overstretched today.

Perhaps, he really wanted to meet Ms. Fujioka today. In a strange way, he had missed the taste of her blood which both made him feel agitated and crept out. What would Haruhi think if she knew what kind of mindless thoughts were passing through his head? His thoughts started to revolve around her. When the break came, he didn't waste time and rushed to their meeting spot in the Ouran garden.

He found her sitting there on the bench. Her short hair was gathered into a small ponytail, and she had a bright scarf wrapped around her shoulders. She was staring down at a book in her lap, but Kyoya found her looking a little nervous and impatient. He wondered what had caused that reaction, but he couldn't say he was happy to see her like this. Was it again that Ayanakoji girl? Or was she worried about him drinking her blood? He slowed his steps and walked up to her anxiously.

She turned back, hearing his footsteps and smiled. His quickening heartbeats relaxed, seeing her lit up face as she caught the sight of him. Kyoya observed her face carefully. The smile was genuine. It must have been something unrelated. He smiled back at her and hurried to join her on the bench.

"I thought you won't come today," she said awkwardly, pushing the book against her chest.

"Why would you think that?" Kyoya asked surprised. There was some nervousness in her movements and her body was tense. It was as if she wanted to tell him something.

"Well," she smiled with a low sigh, "I thought you would be busy. Everyone seems busy today."

"Yes," Kyoya agreed with a slight shake of his head, "everyone seems very excited in Ouran. I got a few chocolates myself."

Haruhi blinked at him comprehensively when Kyoya pulled boxes of wrapped chocolates and stretched towards her. "You know I am not having them. I thought you wouldn't mind to eat them."

"You want me to have them?" she mumbled quietly.

After all, other girls had made them for it. It wouldn't be fair to them. But he really couldn't have them, so it seemed reasonable to take them.

"Thank you," she said awkwardly and mentally scolded herself, for behaving so strangely.

A small silence followed and they both stared at each other with childish embarrassment. She looked at Kyoya sideways and wondered how he would react if she went on with her plan. Would he think she was being odd?

"Are you feeling better today?" his voice startled her.

"Yes," she nodded. "The wound on my leg wasn't really serious. Even the doctor in the nurse's office said so."

"It was serious," Kyoya said and then looked away when she gave him a look.

Something seemed strange. Something was different, and they both couldn't point out what it was.

Haruhi turned to face him, shifting in seat quickly and making the chocolate boxes fall sideways. She gulped, looking at his inquiring gaze.

"Um," she started slowly and then with a big sigh, rolled up her sleeve.

Kyoya stared down at her hand and then at her face. Deep blush covered her face, and she refused to look at him almost stubbornly. There was a red bow on her hand. It was made of delicate material and looked soft and pretty against her smooth skin. A small note attached to it.

"I know you can't have chocolates," she spoke suddenly when he didn't say anything. "You are my only friend in Ouran, other than Renge, and I thought it wouldn't be fair to get something from me that you couldn't eat."

So, this was why she was so nervous? Kyoya chuckled softly, both amused at her idea of giving something to him to eat and touched. It seemed so strange and funny and at the same time heartwarming that he didn't know how exactly to respond.

"Well," Haruhi demanded. "You think it's too much."

She played with the ribbon on her hand and gulped again.

Kyoya shook his head. "No," he hurried to reassure her. "It's just nobody ever did that for me, and I am surprised."

"Well, nobody knew you are not fan of chocolates," she laughed.

"Can I have it?" he asked, "The ribbon."

Haruhi nodded. She felt goosebumps spread over her body when he held her hand gently and undid the bow. There was something so intimate about it that she nervously bit her tongue to shake her back into reality. She was just being irrational. There was nothing strange about this. They were friends. Even coworkers gave each other chocolate on this day. He just couldn't have it, and that's why it was her blood that replaced them.

He stared at the note she clumsily wrote and smiled at her. She looked away when his face came close to her arm. His wet teeth pieced into her skin, and she felt his body to slightly shake. The blush covered his face when her blood rushed into his mouth and gently stroked his senses. Her blood made his mind dance in excitement. His body relaxed against hers, and he felt all of his previous thoughts and worries disappear in a second. He felt better and better with each time he had drunk her blood. But with each time he yearned her even more.

When the break ended, they walked back silently. Both of them preoccupied with thoughts. But when they reached the school, Kyoya suddenly stopped her and held her hand.

"Thank you," he said softly.

It wasn't appreciation for her kindness, and Haruhi knew it. Her heart thumped faster. Her breathing became a little more heavy, and before she would say something strange, she bowed as a farewell and left hurriedly.

.

Saori Ootori couldn't say she understood her children well. Her sons were as iron-willed as their father, and there was very little she could know about what they thought unless they told her about it. But even with their carefully maintained facade sometimes she could see the true emotions on their faces, beneath all smiles and bows and perfect behavior. It was a rare thing , but it happened. Her youngest son was more cautious than his brothers, and thus he showed far less than any of them.

When he came back home that day, though, she could swear he looked very happy. It was as if something grand was happening in his life, something that had made up for all the shortcomings and problems he encountered. Something that shadowed his father's strict rules and recent orders. She wondered if she was just imagining all of this in despair, because she was unable to make him feel happy and secure.

"Kyoya," she said gently, "your father wants to talk to you. He came home early today. He wishes to speak about the treatment again."

When he looked at him surprised, she felt guilty. "I understand," he said calmly. "I thought he would abandon the idea after I refused."

"You must understand him," she said, looking away. "He is worried about you. Your condition doesn't allow you the same opportunities your brothers have."

She looked down, not daring to gaze at her son. She knew what he felt, and she knew that her husband was right in his own way. She was torn between her feelings.

"I understand," he said again, putting his jacket on the nearby sofa and politely bowing left the room.

She had ruined his mood. He looked so happy, and Saori felt guilty again. Maybe she should talk to her husband and beg him to leave Kyoya alone. Maybe she needed to convince him that their son was fine just the way he was. After all, he started to look better, happier and didn't appear to suffer like he was before. But deep down she wasn't completely sure that he was happy this way.

She sighed and took his jacket. A small red bow with a note attached to it fell on the carpeted floor. Saori knelt down in surprise. She took the red bow and rolled it around in her hand. The note read, " _I know it's strange, but hope you like it. Haruhi._ "

She stared down at the note in complete perplexity. Who was Haruhi? Was her son seeing someone? Or was it just a friend? The red bow didn't look like something a male friend would give, save it, her son didn't really have any friends, male or female. She quickly put the bow and the note back into his pocket.

* * *

 **A/N-I hope you all are doing well. And sorry for the long wait, I was very busy recently. I hope you like the chapter. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**So, I thought to update faster this time. :)**

* * *

The winter sky was somber, and the sunlight didn't pass through the murky thickness of heavenly mantles. Yoshio Ootori's expression hardened, looking up, and he wondered if he ever was going to get used to the winter colds. There was a sort of deep-nested disdain towards cold, muted colors that shaded everything in melancholy when winter came. Since Akito started to work in the company and take care of business related matters, he could finally dedicate some time to medical practice. It has been a long while since he was involved in any research. His eldest son proved not to be very interested in business, although, he was a very keen and brilliant doctor and a dedicated researcher.

When Akito graduated from university, obtaining a business degree, Yoshio decided to get more involved with the medical issues. He was very pleased that his second son, after becoming a doctor, decided to pursue a business degree. Both of his sons were working hard, and even though, he wouldn't admit openly, he was quite pleased with both of them. The only one he was worried about was Kyoya. The boy had become so rebellious that Yoshio could hardly recognize him. Even after he talked to him yesterday firmly, it didn't make his youngest son change his mind.

He admitted that after Kyoya stopped eating, his health had improved, but that couldn't have been for long. The medication Yuuichi was working on could prove to be effective, and Kyoya's reluctance to comply made Yoshio mad. Why couldn't the boy understand that it was for his own good? There was no way to hide his condition if he ever decided to get married, be involved in family business. He knew all possible future prospects were dead for his son, and it irritated him. Not only that, but who could say that his condition wouldn't worsen in the future?

As a young child Kyoya could eat normal food, but over time his body started to change, and his digestive organs started to deteriorate and eventually became completely useless. Who could guarantee that everything wouldn't become even worse? They needed to try to control the health risks before everything became even worse. Yuuichi assured that the medication wouldn't have any side effects, there was no need to worry about that. He needed to make Kyoya agree.

Yoshio's shoulders slumped forward in frustration, as he walked into his office. He had spent plenty of sleepless nights, brooding over Kyoya's illness. Since the boy was born, Yoshio Ootori had wondered many times if he ever was going to forgive himself for having a son so frail and infirm. He had wondered what kind of life could he possibly have with his illness. The old man didn't indulge in sentimentality that everything would eventually be alright. He knew very well what it meant for the boy to be sick in that way.

He took a deep, shaking breath. His secretary was already waiting for him when he entered his office. The man had brought all the necessary paperwork to start Yuuichi's research trials. Yoshio sighed and started to go over the documents.

"Ootori-sama," the secretary spoke in his polite monotone voice, "Nakamura-sensei wants to see you about the new hospital branch issues."

Yoshio looked up and nodded. He himself wanted to talk to her, but with everything happening didn't really have the time. The secretary bowed shortly and left the room.

"Ootori-sensei," a cheerful voice grabbed Yoshio's attention, "good morning."

"Good morning, Nakamura-sensei," Yoshio replied with a polite smile.

The woman was one of the best doctors and experts that had worked in Ootori group. But Yoshio always found the woman to be a little strange. She was too cheerful and absentminded for a doctor. Her bubbly personality made the old man quirk a brow every time they met.

"I have brought the reports from the new hospital branch," she said with a light giggle. "Everything is going well. I think the new hospital branch is even better than the main one."

"Thank you, Nakamura-sensei," Yoshio said with a forced smile. "I knew you would manage everything well. Your professional contribution is very appreciated."

"Oh, sensei, you are making me blush," the woman giggled again. "I was inspired to become a doctor after I have heard your speech at the university."

Yoshio politely nodded. Nakamura-san must have been in her thirties. Quite frankly, Yoshio didn't care, and he didn't remember when he gave that speech. He was very often invited by universities, so he couldn't recall which speech she meant.

"Your son looks so much like you," the woman said, getting up. "He had grown up so much and now is a nice young man. I was really surprised to see him with his girlfriend. Such a pretty girl, she was. I have heard she is one of the best students in the entire school. No wonder, your family is very academically oriented."

Yoshio's eyebrows shot up. Who was she speaking about? Yuuichi? Did he have a girlfriend? His son never expressed any interest in anyone. Was there someone in his life that Yoshio wasn't aware of? Wait a minute, the woman said in the school. Who was she speaking about? Besides Nakamura-san knew Yuuichi quite well. She wouldn't speak of him being grown up.

"Where did you meet him?" he asked with a pleasant expression on his face, pretending to know what she was talking about.

"At Ouran high school," the woman exclaimed, causing Yoshio to roll his eyes. "She was injured, and I was called to school. She is alright though. The injury wasn't a big deal. But Kyoya-san was so upset. I assured him there would be no traces of scars. He must have been very worried, though. Young love..."

The woman sighed and shook her head, bearing a longing smile on her lips. "I need to go, Ootori-sensei," she mumbled unaware that her words made Yoshio freeze in place. "My patients are waiting."

"Of course, Nakamura-san," Yoshio Ootori breathed.

When the woman left his office, the man rubbed his temples, blinking his eyes rapidly. Kyoya had a girlfriend. That foolish boy! Didn't he know that it could get him into serious trouble if the girl ever found out about his condition? Yoshio shook his head frustrated. He wouldn't be able to control the situation if the word got spread that his son was suffering from some obscure illness. It would affect not only Kyoya, but the entire company. Mind them, nobody would believe it most likely, but even complete nonsense could have caused troubles.

Yoshio got up from his seat and exhaled sharply. He needed to find out who the girl was and what kind of relationship Kyoya had with her. How could his son be so thoughtless? Didn't he know the consequences already? Nobody would keep their mouths shut if they knew what was wrong with him. And if that girl knew he doubted he could make her silent with money. Yoshio grabbed his phone.

"Harada-san," he spoke harshly. "I have an important task for you. Please come to my office."

Goro Harada was the chief of Black Onion―the police force employed by the Ootori family. He was very loyal to the Ootori patriarch and was a very skilled security guard.

Shortly after the call, the man walked into the room and respectfully bowed, "Yoshio-sama."

"Harada, find out about the girl Kyoya possibly dates," Yoshio spoke. "I need everything. Absolutely everything about her. And..."

Yoshio crossed his arms impatiently. "Clear out for me the possible relationship. I need to know if the rumour is true. She is a student at Ouran high school."

"Yes, sir," Harada nodded.

"I need this as soon as possible," the man spoke. "Use as much resources as necessary, find out everything, make sure to stay discreet. I don't want anyone finding out about this, especially Tachiabana-san or anyone else involved with Kyoya's security."

Yoshio found it amusing that the guards he had hired to keep his son safe were more loyal to the boy than to himself. He was their employer and paid them money. It was irritating on one hand, but on the other hand, he was glad that the men were trustworthy enough to keep the boy safe, considering his condition.

"Of course, Yoshio-sama," the man replied.

Yoshio realized that he had never been so worried in his life. He cupped his face and sat down again after the security chief left the suite.

.

Kyoya didn't want to sit at the breakfast table with the rest of the family. His mother literally begged him to come down, and he couldn't make her upset anymore than she was. Besides, he was in a better mood that morning. He had a day ahead of him, and he was excited about it. Haruhi had offered to go together and try different commoner things in the Izumi Shopping Center. He found it strange at first, but to spend time with her on a weekend, made him more than eager to agree immediately.

He knew that his father was going to be home that morning. The old man had returned early the day before, but that didn't make him change his decision. After his mother left, he got dressed in neater clothing and groomed his hair. He didn't want to look like he had spent a sleepless night when he met Haruhi. Kyoya smiled amused at himself that he thought of her suggestion as a date, while she didn't even consider the idea.

He walked into the dining room and found his family already seated and waiting for the meal to be served.

"Are you trying to prove you are the most stylish in the family?" Akito chuckled, seeing him all dressed up nicely.

Kyoya didn't say anything, nor smiled back, but his lack of reaction made Akito even more amused. He grinned happily as if he had just found a new way to tease his younger brother.

"Akito," Yoshio warned him harshly.

Yuuichi glanced at Kyoya only once with disinterest after Akito's comment and diverted his concentration back to his food. Yoshio couldn't believe that he still needed reprimand his adult heirs. Akito had such an irritating habit of provoking and baiting his brothers. None of them hardly ever responded negatively or positively, but it didn't stop him from doing it again and again.

Regardless of how foolish Akito's comment was, it made Yoshio to stare at his youngest son carefully. He did look particularly dressed that morning. Was he planning some kind of meeting with that girl? Or was it all just Nakamura's imagination? He wouldn't be surprised if all of it was just the woman's overactive fantasy. Still his son had changed a lot, and he needed to consider the possibility of him being involved with some girl. On the other hand, maybe he could use this opportunity and convince the unruly boy to accept the treatment.

The side of Yoshio's lip curled upwards. Yes, he could use the girl and convince Kyoya to seek treatment. If he liked someone, it could serve a good motivation. After all, Kyoya should know well of all people that no girl would think of his illness calmly. His own mother had gone nearly mad when she learnt about his illness. How could he expect someone else to accept it ever?

No, Yoshio knew that if there was really someone in Kyoya's life, it could help him get the boy to agree to try the medication. Yoshio scanned his son's face. He looked calmer than usual and ate the food almost like a normal person. He never managed to hide the disgust on his face, but now he looked very much normal. It almost appeared, he was not affected by it. He wondered if this sudden change in his life was because of the girl.

"I need to go to the hospital," Yuuichi stood up.

He glanced at Kyoya, his lip curled disapprovingly, but he didn't say anything, apologized and retreated politely.

.

"Senpai," she waved at him as soon as she spotted him.

Her hair was gathered into a small ponytail, and he could see her slender, bony neck. She wore pale blue blouse and a dark jacket over it. He could see the silhouette of her delicate legs in her tight jeans. She always wore one of those baggy pants where her figure was completely hidden. But know he could see her gentle curves and small frame. Kyoya blinked his eyes surprised when he realized he was thinking of her petite figure.

"Tachibana-san," he turned to his bodyguard. "I will call you. You can leave for now."

The man subtly glanced at the girl, standing in the corner and waving at young Ootori-sama and nodded politely. He wondered where young master wanted to go so early in the morning just right after breakfast, and now that he had his answer, he wondered if she was the reason he looked so lively recently.

"Sir," he bowed. "I will be waiting for your call."

Kyoya nodded and walked down to Haruhi. "I hope I didn't make you wait too long," he said, catching up with her. "I didn't expect that the family breakfast would take as long as it did."

"Family breakfast?" she looked at him with a curious look.

"My family thinks even if I can't digest anything, I still have to eat with them," he chuckled, seeing her expression. "I throw up everything, but I guess they don't care about it. As long as it appears I eat like any other human, they are happy. Appearances matter more."

He swallowed. He didn't intend to say any of these. She made him feel secure and understood, and he told her what was supposed to be a family matter. He felt her hand on his shoulder. It was warm. For some reason, he could always feel her warmth. It was almost as if a different kind of temperature, something he could experience fully.

"I am sorry," she said gently.

He shook his head and laughed tenderly, making sure to keep his teeth hidden. "It's alright. Don't look at me with such a pity," he unintentionally stretched his hand forward and ruffled her hair. Her ponytail looked now messed up and she looked cute, and adorable. She stared at him with surprise.

"Well," he cleaned his throat when the silence lingered. "Where do you want to go?"

"Renge-chan is going to be so jealous if she finds out that I didn't take her with us," Haruhi joked. "Because there are so many great sales in the mall."

He found her straightforwardness so endearing. She was so simple. Nothing hidden, nothing manipulated, everything she was, he could see by looking at her. And her pretty eyes stared back at him in a way that made his icy heart melt. They blinked awkwardly when they realized they were staring at each other.

"You know you look..." he said slowly and then smiled clumsily, his sharp fangs glistered in the grim lighting of winter morning. "...So pretty..."

Her eyes widened, and she blushed furiously. The sudden burst of blood made Kyoya dizzy, and he stepped back. She was driving him mad. His senses woke up, and his body stiffened. He gulped as he realized how strongly he desired her. It was almost to the point of madness. A small blush, and he could go on his knees just to taste her sweet, enchanting essence.

"I didn't try to look pretty," she said shyly as if defending herself. "I think we should hurry, or we will miss the best of the sales."

They walked together, and Kyoya found himself so incredibly drawn to her that it felt like a crime. There were many other people in the shopping center. There were so many strange obscure things being sold that he soon found himself completely lost in the weird products of commoner world. He found particularly strange to see so many peculiar packages labeled to be melon flavored snacks. He wondered if melons tasted any good. Did Haruhi like them?

"Haruhi, is it common for snacks to be melon―" he looked around confused, "where did she go? Haruhi?"

When he couldn't spot her, he panicked. His slow heartbeat came quickly back to life, and he looked around frantically. For some reason, her absence made him feel very worried. And then her smell cherished his nostrils, and he realized that she had just stepped away to look at some friendship charms.

"Look, senpai," she said, pointing out at something. It was a feather-shaped bookmark. "I have got two."

She lifted them up to show them to Kyoya. And he nodded gently at her, afraid to smile and expose his teeth in a busy mall. He walked up to her and wrapped his hand around hers, holding tightly her bony fingers in his bigger hand.

"Let's not lose each other in this place," he asked tenderly.

"Of course," she mumbled confused.

Something had changed in him. She sensed it. Something had changed in her. He sensed it.

"I got one for me and the other for you," she said, stretching one of the bookmarks to him. "They are shaped like feathers. Just like in the Hiroki Hirayama's book _'Feather Dust_ '"

He looked down at her and took the bookmark from her hand. "Thank you," he said. "I will keep it in a safe place."

Haruhi smiled at him, and they continued to walk around, holding each other's hands. Kyoya realized that if somebody saw them like that, his father would eventually learn about Haruhi. He felt selfish, because he didn't care. He just wanted to feel like a real person for a moment, walking in a mall with a pretty girl and doing stupid childish things like any other person his age, like Suoh. He mentally laughed at the idea that he wanted to be like Suoh for a day.

But with her he felt like Suoh; a bit disoriented, childish, simple and suddenly too emotional. He felt like a boy. She made him feel human, and at the same time, woke inside him desires that were nothing human. She managed to woke all of his sides―the good, the bad and the terrible.

They spent the entire day together, buying the most ridiculous things. Haruhi assured him that all of those things were useful. She told him in a low, sad voice that she was an excellent cook, and she would have liked to make a very delicious soup for him, just to show him that there are many different tastes in the world. And they wandered around until the evening fell.

"I will take you home," he said when they walked back together.

"It's alright," she smiled. "I can take the bus."

"I think it would be better if I take you home," he insisted. "You said your father is working at nights. When you get home there will no one around. Isn't it safer if I accompany you?"

"I will be―" she was interrupted by someone's voice.

"Kyoya," they both turned to look at the person. He looked like Kyoya, had glasses on his eyes, but was older.

"Akito-san," Kyoya's face immediately lost all of its initial cheerfulness and became blank and cold. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

 **A/N- Sorry that I cut there. :) So I hope you like this chapter. As you can tell this chapter was based on Kyoya's reluctant day out canon. Of course, some things were omitted and changed, but I hope you don't mind. Tell me what you think of everything; Yoshio, Akito, the progression of Kyoya's and Haruhi's relationship. Can't wait to hear your reactions. :) Have a nice day or night!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I hope you will like this chapter and don't forget to tell me what you think of it :)**

* * *

The city lights had dispersed over the dark streets, lonely buildings and late February trees―devoid of foliage and blossoms. The snow had melted, but the air was still raw and bit like a wolf after evenfall. The streets were full of people; youngsters, holding the hands of their parents, looking at shop windows, couples who liked to walk in the midst of chill winter just to have a respectable excuse to hold the hands of their loved ones, and older people, who perhaps loved to feel cold, because it reminded them that they were still alive.

Akito puffed a gulp of air and looked like an amused child when noticed his own breath freeze in mid air like cigarette smoke. A lighthearted chuckle left his lips, and he rubbed his hands hastily, making the chilled blood run in his veins. His glasses were replaced with contact lenses. He wore his hair forward, instead of the usual styled backwards and meticulously gelled. He had a pair of thorn jeans and a sports jacket. Nobody in million years would have recognized him in his current state―changed from his formal attire and conventional business style hair into the looks of a causal guy who was out to grab a bottle of beer.

His usually guarded and careful facial expression was also absent. He looked very pleased if anything. One would say something exciting had happened to him a few hours ago. But nobody knew him in the neighborhood, and even if someone who knew him saw him around, they wouldn't recognize him. He chuckled content and walked down the street. He needed to get home early. Yoshio would get suspicious if he didn't show up in time. The man was a big dictator and a control freak. If his father found out what he was up to, he could very well say goodbye to working in the company.

He stared at the people around him absentmindedly and wondered what was their story, until his spotted a familiar face among the crowd. It was so unexpected that he involuntarily spoke, letting the person in question know about his presence.

"Kyoya?"

What was he doing here? Did the sneaky bastard follow him here so he can blackmail him later on? Was he that kind of person?

"Akito-san," his brother stared at him with a calculative gaze, the one he had when he was trying to dismantle the other person's intentions. "What are you doing here?"

The question took him off guard, and he stepped backwards, speechless. What was he supposed to answer? Was he trying him? Did he already know? His face didn't show any indication of insincerity, but truly, he could never guess what his little brother was thinking.

"What are you doing here?" he asked himself, blinking his eyes rapidly, trying to find a good excuse.

"I asked first, actually," Kyoya smiled and then stepped aside. "But if you insist, I was exploring the shopping center with Haruhi-san."

Akito's gaze intimidatingly went to a young woman his brother was standing next to. He was so stunned that he didn't even notice her before. She was young, maybe younger than Kyoya. She had lovely silky hair, but atrocious haircut. She was thin, and her over-sized clothes were kind of swimming around her petite form. And she had the world's ugliest glasses.

"Haruhi, this is my elder brother Akito-san," Kyoya introduced him politely. "Oniisan this is Haruhi."

"It's nice to meet you, Akito-san," the girl greeted him politely and smiled.

"Um," Akito cleaned his throat, _Oniisan? Huh? That's how he is going to play._ "It's nice to meet you too, Haruhi-san. I don't always get to meet with my brother's friends."

Who was this girl? Why was Kyoya with her? Was he crazy? If she accidentally learnt about his condition, a shitstorm would break. Was Kyoya seeing her? No, no way it could be true. He wasn't that stupid, was he? If Father found out, he would be pissed.

He looked at the girl again, this time more curiously and a little intrigued. The way she stood next to his brother suggested that she had no idea about his illness. Of course, Kyoya wouldn't tell her. But it didn't seem they were involved or anything. This wasn't going to end well. On the other side, this kind of explained the odd cheerfulness his younger brother had recently. He never considered the idea, because he didn't think Kyoya could be so reckless. But who was he to blame the boy.

"Are you hungry?" he said with a smile. "Maybe, we should all go and eat something together."

He looked at Kyoya pointedly and smiled. His brother's facial expression immediately changed, because he realized what was his intention behind the seemingly innocent and actually outwardly friendly and polite offer. The girl wouldn't know it, but his brother did, and he glared at him angrily.

"I am not hungry," he said abruptly. "Haruhi wanted to go home anyways. It's already very late."

Kyoya clenched his hands into a firm fist. His brother wasn't playing fair. He wanted to make him feel miserable when Haruhi was around. Why was he here anyways? He stared at his brother attentively and frowned.

"I actually wouldn't mind," Haruhi said with a smile.

Kyoya sighed, and turning to the girl, looked at her with a pleading look. She didn't get it, did she?

"That's great," Akito smiled. "Kyoya-kun, hope you don't mind. It wouldn't be nice of me not to invite to dinner a friend of my beloved brother."

Kyoya scoffed. He wasn't an idiot. He knew what was on Akito's mind.

"That place looks good," Akito gestured towards a small restaurant on the corner. "Hope it would be to your taste, brother. I know you are very picky with food."

 _Bastard!_

Haruhi's eyes widened, as the realization finally stroke her. She didn't think anything of it until Kyoya's brother uttered his last sentence. Kyoya couldn't eat anything in that restaurant, so why was his brother so damn persistent? She should have said no and left home. She was such a glutton―the mere thought of food had turned off her thinking and judging ability. Good cheese was only in a trap, wasn't it? It should have seemed strange to her that this guy invited them to dine so quickly.

 _"Mother in heaven, save me from this awkward situation,"_ she prayed inwardly.

They walked side by side with Kyoya, and she looked at him with an apologizing look, hoping he wouldn't be mad at her later on. He seemed preoccupied and was glaring at his brother. Why would his brother be such a backstabber? What was wrong with him? Haruhi seethed internally, looking at the guy annoyed. He set a trap for his brother, and she helped him to get Kyoya in it. She should have been more careful.

They sat at a table on the corner that had pretty flowers around it, and Haruhi concluded that even though it was very much a commoner area the food was on the pricey end. She grabbed the menu and looked at the listed things. She had never had ootoro, although, she really fancied the idea of having it.

"Pick whatever you want," Kyoya whispered, leaning closer to her ear. "He will pay. I will make him pay."

"Are you sure it's alright? And I am very sorry for being so thick," she mumbled back.

He nodded. Well, then fancy tuna it was.

Akito looked at them from where he was sitting, right in front of them and frowned a little. What were they whispering about? He rolled his eyes. He never thought Kyoya would be this childish to start friendships with girls. But then she took out her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Akito froze in place. Her eyes... They were so beautiful. Now that he could see her face, he was shocked. He had never seen set of two eyes so intriguing and inviting before. Why the hell would she cover that pretty face of hers with those awful glasses?

Fine, Kyoya wasn't childish. This girl was so damn hot and had such captivating eyes that he was certain his mouth was gaping open when he caught sight of them. But still, he sighed, still it was a terrible idea. If she found out, there would be no damage control, except maybe to lock her up in a mental hospital, which, he was pretty sure, was something their father would do.

He put his hand under his chin and stared at her pretty face. Kyoya glared at him and shook his head. She needed a good designer, then she would look like a magazine model. Kyoya surely didn't waste time. Where did they know each other from?

"I will have fancy tuna," she spoke, smiling gently. "Would you like to share with me, Kyoya-senpai? It's late for eating a lot."

Kyoya nodded.

Akito's amusement grew. What kind of relationship did they have that they were sharing food? In response, he just nodded, without saying a word. He wondered if Kyoya faked eating before too if she was suggesting to share or she was just doing it for the first time. Waiter quickly approached, bringing them drinks, and he made the order.

"Haruhi-san, where do you know Kyoya-kun from?" Akito asked with a wide smile, looking at Kyoya sideways, trying to catch his reaction. "He isn't really the friendly type, to be honest, so I am surprised and happy that he made friends with someone."

"Oh," she looked at Kyoya with a smile and then turned her gaze at Akito. "We go to the same school. Kyoya-senpai is a quite nice and friendly person."

Akito choked, putting down the lemonade that had arrived earlier than the rest of the food. Was she speaking about the same Kyoya?

"Are you alright, Akito-san?" she asked concerned, extending him a small napkin.

He nodded awkwardly and stared at his brother. Kyoya looked impassive, impatient maybe. There was nothing else on his face. Akito cleaned his lips with the napkin frustrated and offered a polite smile to the girl.

"So, you are a student at Ouran high school?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "I have started my first year."

"So you are not in the same class as Kyoya-kun. You are younger. I thought you were classmates. You two look quite close," he said, faking a confusion and surprise.

"Oniisan, Haruhi might think you have invited her to interrogate," Kyoya said lightly, his voice laced with humor. It almost fooled Akito to think that Kyoya wasn't livid about him questioning his rather pretty friend.

"I apologize, if it seemed like that, Haruhu-san,"Akito quickly tried to smooth things. "It's a sibling thing I suppose, to always keep an eye on your younger brother and all. I hope you are not offended."

The waiter placed the food on the table, and the cold atmosphere warmed up a bit. Akito gave Kyoya a look and shook his head. He didn't want to do this, but Kyoya needed to understand that it was a terrible idea to go and start relationships like this. One unguarded step, one mistake, and he would be in trouble. They were Ootoris, and they were supposed to be more careful.

Haruhi smiled like a maniac, seeing the food. It looked so delicious. She ate quickly, and Kyoya stared at her with a bit of bewilderment.

"I am sorry," she said, looking at him. "Seems like I was hungrier than I thought I was."

"It's alright," Kyoya mumbled.

He didn't even manage to chew one piece when she finished all of them. Akito's eyes were wide in shock; not every day, one would see a pretty girl, who eats so much food in a faster than light speed. She smiled at Kyoya. She didn't want him to have any of the pieces. He smiled back. He understood.

"Kyoya-senpai," she stood up. "Would you come with me for a moment? I need your help."

He quirked a brow. Akito stared at the girl in disbelief. Who was she? What was happening? Was this real?

"Of course, Haruhi," Kyoya stood up. "Excuse us for a moment, Akito-san."

Akito blinked, not realizing what was happening. "Um, well, of course," he mumbled finally.

They left together and when they were far enough Haruhi apologized.

"I am sorry, senpai," she said. "I shouldn't have agreed to come here. I just didn't think. I ate all of the food myself, hope it won't seem strange. I just didn't want you to have any of it. You told me, you can't digest it."

"It's alright, Haruhi," he nodded. "Thank you. Is there any problem, or you just wanted to apologize?"

"I thought you would want to eat, too?" she grinned.

Now that they were away, Akito would come up some ridiculous notions of what kind of relationship she had with Haruhi. Hopefully, he wouldn't open his mouth and tell anything to Father. Kyoya sighed. No, he wouldn't utter a word. He wouldn't want the old man to know that he was wandering around there as well. He chuckled. They walked into the bathroom.

"I don't need it, Haruhi," he tried to protest.

"Nonsense," she shook her head. "It's my fault we are in an eating place. I never had ootoro before. To be honest, it is one of the things I always wanted to have. So it's my turn to treat you. Let's hope it's as good as fancy tuna."

If only she knew, that her blood drove him mad. He nodded and held her hand close to his lips. The smell of her sweet blood poured into his nose, and his cheeks turned blush at the accompanying thoughts he had. His teeth pierced into her flesh, and her blood streamed into his mouth, like a gentle melody for his frozen senses. It made him more content each time. He sighed delighted at the fresh taste and joyful feelings his brain registered. His lips sucked the blood out of her body in slow, cherishing gulps. Haruhi suddenly grabbed his shoulders and stumbled, but his dazed mind didn't realize anything, although he instinctively rushed to pull her closer.

His teeth pierced further into her flesh unknowingly, mechanically, and a new surge of blood rushed to sooth the nerves in his mouth. He felt her go tense against him and heard her let out a barely audible moan. He stopped drinking, untangled his fangs and looked at her surprised. She looked horrified. Something had just changed, and they both felt it. She wasn't pale, like she always was after he drunk her blood. She was blushing red.

"We should return," she said quickly, retreating her arm and putting on a small band-aid.

Her blood dripped on his shirt. They stared at each other confused and both looked away immediately. What had just happened? He clasped his fingers around her wrist. He could feel her pulse, beating crazily. She stared at him like she saw him for the first time. He nodded and let go of her arm.

Akito was literally playing with hid food when they walked back. He was pushing it forward and backwards in his plate, and Haruhi wrinkled her face, seeing it. The guy stared at them cautiously, but then smiled.

"I was worried something happened," he said, looking at Kyoya instead. "It was strange you would go to the bathroom together."

"Oh," Haruhi said, realizing what he was insinuating. "I have hurt myself during a school activity, and I am supposed to have this shots for my bones. It's harmless really. But I am scared to do it myself."

It was a lie. Haruhi smiled at him. She was supposed to become a lawyer or not? Better start now. His expression suggested that he actually believed her.

"I am sorry," Akito said. "I didn't mean for my words to sound like―"

"It's alright," Haruhi hurried to say. "I need to go now. It's already too late. It was very nice, Akito-san. Thank you for the dinner. And Kyoya-senpai, thank you for the help. Also, sorry for eating all the fancy tuna."

"I will take you home," Kyoya said.

"No need," she insisted. "I will find my way home just fine."

Whatever happened in the bathroom had made her panic. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. Kyoya nodded. He realized that too.

"It was nice meeting you, Haruhi-san," Akito said before she ran out of the restaurant.

Kyoya looked after her. His heart was beating so fast, as if it was planning to leave his chest and ran after her. He breathed in, and the air was as if soaked in her smell. It made his heartbeat go faster, and he closed his eyes. Her taste was still in his mouth, and it made him feel replete and relaxed. He smelled her so close to him; it was strange.

"Father will be very displeased about this," Akito told him. When Kyoya didn't respond, he added, "It's completely crazy."

"Crazy?"

"Yes. It's crazy; you and this girl? What were you thinking? Do you know what will happen if she finds out?"

"What will happen?" he asked his brother.

"She will flip. What else will happen? This isn't some bullshit fantasy for you, it's life, and the moment she sees your teeth, she will ran away."

"Why are you telling me this, Akito-san?" Kyoya said impatiently.

"Because believe it or not, I care about you ,and I don't want you to get hurt."

"So, was that what it was? Huh? You caring about me? Inviting us to a food restaurant?"

"I wanted you to understand," he tried to defend his point. "Unfortunately, that little girl had one hell of an appetite. Are they starving her or something?"

"It's not for your place to decide for me," Kyoya said politely, but his tone with icy and harsh. "I can decide and understand on my own."

"This will break your heart," Akito said surprisingly quietly, almost to himself. "I won't tell anything to Father."

They walked out of the restaurant together. The moon and the stars were not visible. The sky was cloudy, as thick fog had covered the sky.

"So what were you doing here, anyways?" Kyoya asked with a playful smile. "And don't try to make up excuses. I can smell her all over you."

Akito turned pink at his younger brother's words. He gulped and looked away. "So, that's one of the perks, huh?"

Kyoya didn't respond, just walked and stared at him casually, waiting for an explanation.

"She is a very fun girl," Akito said with a tender smile, surprising Kyoya. "She is very smart. She studies anthropology at university. We have met accidentally. She mistook me for an IT technician when we met. I fixed her computer, don't ask. And then before I know we are talking about all kinds of things and setting on a date. We always meet around here. I think she might live close by, but I didn't ask or make her invite me. It has been three months or so. I didn't tell her the truth. She still thinks I work in an IT store."

"Father will have your head, the moment he hears about your ravenous relationship," Kyoya chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't tell him about this. What's the point of ruining your little affair, anyways."

Akito gave him a pointed look. "This is not a little affair," he said, sounding actually offended. "I like Nanako. And she likes me. Me―not Ootori Akito. She just likes me not for the Ootori name like everyone else Father shoves down my face, but for my character."

Kyoya sighed. This was serious. Nanako? Huh? Yoshio Ootori was going to lose it, when he found out that two of his sons were hanging out with commoners.

"So that's why you are dressed like this," Kyoya shook his head, but his lips were curled upwards. "You look younger dressed like this. But don't you think, you need to tell her?"

"I can't," Akito shook his head. "I can't tell her. Just like you won't tell that girl what is wrong with you."

"So now being an Ootori means something is wrong with you?" Kyoya stared at his brother.

"For Nanako, it would be," Akito confessed. "You should see what she says about wealthy people."

Kyoya chuckled. He didn't know what Nanako said, but he knew someone who had quite a few colourful words she would share whenever she would get frustrated. He didn't ask any more questions. Akito seemed secretive about her. It was a big surprise he told him anything at all. Kyoya reasoned that it was because of the vulnerable situation he found him in, otherwise, he wouldn't utter a word about that Nanako girl, whoever she was.

Tachibana approached them after Kyoya's call to take them home. He looked surprised to see Akito and Kyoya together, but didn't say anything. They didn't discuss the day in the car either. Both of them needed silence. Sometimes silence soothed in a way, words couldn't. And even when they got home, both of them were silent, and they hurried to their rooms, hoping not to meet their parents or older brother.

Although, Saori Ootori saw both of them entering the house. She looked at them surprised to see them together. Her sons were not normally in talking terms. She sighed and kept sipping from her tea. The maid ran in and smiled like she had caught some miracle fairy.

"I have news for your, Saori-sama," she said with a grin.

Saori put down her cup and straightened her posture. She gestured for the maid to sit down, and the woman shyly sat in front of Ootori matriarch.

"I have asked around, and one of my friends who works in the Ouran high school told me that although they never saw young master with anyone, a few weeks ago, he had helped this one girl to be taken to the nurse's office. Her name is Haruhi, and she is an honor student at Ouran. I think it was just a thank you note for the help on Valentine's day."

"Thank you, Miwa-san," Saori said. "Would you try to find out more about this girl."

"Of course, ma'am," the maid said cheerfully.

* * *

 **I am so thankful to all the people who read, favorited, followed and left lovely reviews for this story. It makes me all the more motivated to write new chapters. I hope you are doing all well, and life isn't treating you harshly. After all, it's winter already. Tell me what you think of this chapter. What do you think of Akito? For me, he is a bit of a fan character. He is the Loki-type. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**The story is moving forward as I have planned, and I hope you like it.**

* * *

"Take a seat," Yoshio told him impatiently and, crossing his legs elegantly, looked at his youngest son. He watched him closely, trying to recognize any signs of uncertainty he could use against him.

The boy looked healthy. His cheeks had colour in them, and his eyes bore a pleasant liveliness. The old man really wondered what could have possibly caused his son's current fitness. He looked so alive and full of strength that Yoshio's purely medical interest piqued. He narrowed his eyes and scanned Kyoya's demeanor. It was always difficult to understand what his youngest child was thinking, but he noticed a hint of impatience in his posture. Yoshio exhaled, pursing his lips and sat back on his chair. He knew that he wouldn't agree to the medical procedures again. Kyoya was his son, after all.

"How long are you planning to be stubborn and disobey me?" he asked harshly.

"I apologize, Father," he said, courteously bowing. "I don't want to upset you, but I can't let Yuuichi-san try untested medications on me. I am not a lab rat."

Yoshio sighed and gritted his teeth. "Your behaviour is a family disgrace. Your unwillingness to try every means to get treated, so you can lead an exemplary life is embarrassing."

"I can't agree, Father," he said quietly, "If I must live like this, so be it, because I am pretty sure you know as well that no treatment can cure this."

Yoshio's expression hardened. He stood up and approached the drawer. Stubborn, foolish boy! He would find the girl soon enough and make sure he understands that he can't hope for a normal life with his condition and reluctance to change. He took a package out of the drawer and closed it behind him.

"Here, take this," he said, giving him a plastic bag packed with blood. "This will be a last time thing. You must agree to get the treatment."

Kyoya's face wrinkled in surprise, and he didn't manage to control his features. The smell of the blood reached his nose, and he felt nauseous. He instinctively backed away and accidentally bumped into the outstretched blood bag. When it fell down on the floor and the content spilled on the oak parquet, Kyoya covered his nose with his palm. The smell of the blood made him so sick, he wanted to vomit right there. His body temperature went up, and drops of sweat formed on his forehead. He fell on the ground, feeling paralyzed and unable to breathe.

Yoshio stared at him in disbelief and with slight confusion, but before he could say anything his son stood up and ran out of the study. Kyoya's body was feeling so sick, he couldn't inhale oxygen. The smell of blood made him disgusted. He hurried to bathroom and ended up throwing up in the toilet, and the terrible part was that he didn't have anything in his body to throw up. He hadn't eaten anything, so all he was doing making his muscles tighten and squeeze inside him. He washed his face, hoping to clear the smell of the blood from his nose glands.

He didn't feel this exhausted after throwing up actual food. Kyoya sat in the bathroom, trying to relax his breathing. He caught the sight of himself in the big bathroom mirror and didn't recognize himself for a second. What had just happened? Why did he have such a strong reaction to the smell of blood? It revolted him―something that was supposed to be his only sustenance turned his stomach. What was that supposed to mean?

He rubbed his face slowly and got up. He needed to go to school. It was already late. Quickly cleaning himself and changing his uniform, he called Tachibana. He didn't want to see his father after what happened in his study. He himself wasn't ready to contemplate on that, either. It troubled him how he reacted to the blood his father had offered.

"Does something bother you, sir?" Tachibana asked concerned, seeing how unusually expressive his face was. "Can I do anything?"

Kyoya looked at the man and shook his head. He was really thankful for the man's sympathy, but there was nothing he would do to help him. Kyoya quite frankly was so shocked from the blood incident that didn't know what to expect. What was happening to his body? Was it finally breaking? Maybe Yuuichi and father were right, after all, and it was matter of time before his body completely deteriorated.

"Whatever it is," Tachibana spoke again, looking back at him from the front seat, "I am sure you will figure out a solution, Kyoya-sama."

He gave him a warm smile, and Kyoya nodded affably in response. The man turned back. Hotta was driving the car, and he was unusually slow today. It seemed like there was a lot of traffic. He leaned against the window and closed his eyes. What was he going to do now? The questions swirled in his head and he found no answers for any of them. He didn't feel hungry thankfully, otherwise he was going to starve as the smell of blood now repulsed him. But how long would he be able to feel this way before hunger comes back?

The car parked near the entrance. Tachibana-san opened the door for him, and Kyoya, grabbing his schoolbag, walked up to Ouran High School. He looked at the building and sighed. It was always awkward to look at a pink building and think he was getting his education inside those walls. His father even thought of sending him to a different school just to avoid being associated with a pink coloured school. But Ouran, regardless of how utterly silly it looked, provided education of superior quality.

Uncertainties of his current situation made him feel lightheaded. He didn't even notice how he reached the Ouran gardens by the time he bumped into the lush evergreens. He sighed loudly enough for his own ears and that drew him out of his contemplations. He had felt his body grow warm and sick from the smell of human blood. He had turned sick when he consumed human food, but no shifts of body temperature occurred before. It was alarming.

"Kyoya-senpai?" he stopped when her soft voice reached his ears, soothing his mind like a lulling melody in the darkness of a night.

She had her old jacket on, and her scarf was waving in the air, as she was running towards him. His lips curled up kindly in response, but his mind quickly found the action irrational and dismissed it. Something about Haruhi always made him feel safe. She was breathless by the time she reached him, and he involuntary reached to put his hand on her back in a comforting motion.

"I have seen you wander around this tree three times," she mumbled, catching her breath. "Did something happen? Did you lose something around here? We can look up together."

Kyoya shook his head. "I just don't want to go to school before classes start," he tried to sound sincere. "Suoh Tamaki will get in my hair again."

Haruhi chuckled and shook her head, "Tamaki-senpai is like that, but he is not doing it to annoy anyone."

"Well, my will is not an iron one, it can take so much," Kyoya said with a sigh, but lightheartedly.

They started to walk to the school, but Kyoya couldn't forget what had happened that morning. The memory was still fresh in his mind. The way his body convulsed and all of his muscles contracted as if he had consumed poison made him anxious. He looked at the girl curiously. She didn't smell any differently. She still had that distinct, unique aroma that made his knees go weak. He still couldn't figure out what was so different about her.

"Did something happen, senpai?" she asked.

"No," he said, looking towards the group of students gathered at the school yard. "Why are you asking?"

"I don't think Tamaki-senpai is the only reason you looked so lost earlier," she said honestly. "I can feel something is bothering you. Even though you are good at hiding, I can still see."

"Everything is alright," he said with a low voice. "I am just preoccupied a little."

She didn't say anything, turned her eyes away and looked at the green garden walls that looked more animated in otherwise plain winter scenery. The slow wind was playing with her hair. Her smell was dancing in the air, and he could feel it with his body. He still had that strange reaction to her.

"I thought we are friends," she finally said, her tone full of accusation.

"We are friends," he stated, surprised by her sudden change.

"If you thought so, you would tell me what is bothering you," she said. "You can trust me."

The way she said that made him feel strange. One second he was relieved, another―he was anxious. Hard feelings, that choked him, suddenly got an opportunity to leave his mind and allow him to get some solace with himself. Telling her, opening up about his fears would make him vulnerable, and it teared his eagerness to let her in.

"I am sorry," she hurried to say. "It was very inappropriate of me. You might think I am very pushy. I just wanted you to know that if there is something that bothers you, you can always rely on me."

Kyoya took a deep breath and gazed at her with calculating eyes. She was sincere. There was no malice or exterior motives behind her words. Her body and face was open to read, and she hid nothing. He sighed inwardly, thinking he will regret his decision later, but reached out for her arm anyways and pulled her into the secluded corner away from everyone else's eyes and ears. She was the only person he could tell any of this.

"My father had given me a package of blood today," he said slowly.

"Oh," she mumbled. "So you won't need..."

"I threw up just from the smell of it," he added quickly. "This has never happened before. I am not sure if this is just not the beginning of complete deterioration."

"Are you sure it was blood?" she asked worried.

Kyoya nodded silently.

"Maybe it was not your type of blood," she reasoned. "You know even with food sometimes it happens."

"It was the standard type I have always had," Kyoya said with a sigh.

"How about my blood?" she asked.

"What about it?"

"Maybe you still can have mine," her voice sounded hopeful. "Let me. Give me a moment."

She undid her jacket and then rolled up her sleeve. "You can try," she said gulping. "Maybe, you won't feel sick from my blood. Maybe the one you have tried was old or something."

"Haruhi," he held her arm. "You don't need to worry."

"Go on," she demanded. "If you have bad reaction to all blood, it's better to know earlier so we can find out what to do."

Why was she so caring? It puzzled him and at the same time tickled his insides in a childish way, like he had found a toy worth keeping forever. But she was no toy. She was the most amazing and strange person he had ever met. Her pretty eyes stared at him full of determination, and he unwittingly felt hopeful himself. Because in that moment there was someone on his side and for no reason or merit.

He held her hand, and he felt a strange sense of dread. The thought of him drinking her blood and throwing up disgusted―horrified him. He wasn't sure what he would do if he no longer could have blood, either. She pulled him closer clutching the hem of his uniform, and his body immediately tensed up. He was standing so close. She smelled so beautiful, and his thinking became light, his head feeling dizzy, his thoughts scattering in his head. He inhaled a gulp of her smell and closed his eyes tightly.

She smelled of life and fresh lavenders. She smelled of spring and of coziness. He sighed quietly and leaned down. His heart skipped a beat in anticipation. His lips touched her skin, and then the sharp glistering fangs pierced into her soft flesh. He heard her muffled sigh. Hot blood seeped into his mouth, drenching his tongue and gums. The taste of her aromatic, soothing blood reached his taste buds and made his heart dance in his chest. She was sweet and luscious. All of his senses woke up at once to experience the taste of her blood.

Instinctively he pulled her close, wrapping his hand around her waist, and drunk her blood greedily, washing his palate with the flavor that her blood had, and he couldn't get enough of it. Every time he got even more infatuated with her blood. It didn't burn him, it didn't sting him, it soothed his throat, warmed up his body and made his heart beat swiftly. His fangs punctured deeper and more blood streamed into his mouth. Adrenalin rushed, and his breathing became uneven. The experience of drinking her blood left him kind of intoxicated and besotted with her.

She was close, and he could hear her heartbeat while her blood drifted into his mouth. He found himself strangely content as his ears caught the soft ticking. She would usually tense up, but this time she was calm―he almost thought she was enjoying it herself. The thought was silly, but he didn't even have time to dismiss it, because the new flow of blood overwhelmed him, and he forgot about everything happening around him.

"I am so glad," he heard her low voice, but didn't raise his head to look at her. "I am so glad your concerns were wrong."

He must have done something really nice at some point in his life to have Haruhi now here. She was so recklessly kind and so extraordinary. Wasn't it strange? She was a commoner girl, a very ordinary commoner, and yet, she felt so extraordinary to him. The world he lived in had no place for people like Haruhi, and he was taught by life that one always should be careful to receive a gift that didn't merit the gifter. Such gifts didn't exist in Kyoya's mind. And even those that seemed to be such were just Trojan horses.

He felt her hand on his head. She was absentmindedly brushing his hair with her fingers. He realized she had no idea she was doing it, but it made him feel so vulnerable. Why was her blood not affecting him in the same way the one in the morning did? After all, he had drunk that blood for years, and he never had such a reaction.

"And you were worried," she said with a smile, when he raised his head and reluctantly stopped drinking her blood. His cheeks were slightly blushed.

"I don't understand," he confessed, suddenly feeling stupid. "There must be some kind of reason I felt sick from that blood and not yours."

She smiled and tried to open a package of band-aids. "Maybe it wasn't a good one," she mumbled. "Or maybe you had the vampire version of food poisoning or something."

Kyoya laughed. Why was she so cheerful? Was it even normal? He felt sudden sense of unease for drinking her blood.

"Let me help you," he said, taking the bandage from her hand when he noticed that she was struggling. He leaned down and licked the blood on her arm, and she stared at him dumbfounded.

"Not to waste," he clarified almost mockingly, mimicking what she would say and then plastered the bandage on her arm.

When he looked up at her, she was staring confused. Kyoya raised his eyebrows, wondering what had made her look so stunned and surprised, but she didn't pay attention to respond. She looked dazed and stared into his eyes. There were no words spoken as if both of them had lost their way of conveying speech. The classes would start soon, and they needed to move. They didn't even notice that there were many students already gathered in the school yard and were rushing to their classrooms.

They didn't notice Ayanakoji Seika either, who was staring at them from the side of the bushes.

"What's up with these two," the girl spoke to herself when she noticed that that they were together.

She walked closer only to catch third son of Ootori family with that damn commoner in a strange position. Was he kissing her hand or something? The girl wrinkled her face in disgust. She leaned down and took out her cellphone. That nasty commoner had found a way to wrap everyone around her finger, but she would make sure the school knew that she was just a shameless gold-digger, who came to Ouran to find some unsuspecting idiot and climb the social ladder. She smirked, snapping a picture in her phone. So that was why that idiot Kyoya Ootori was defending her, and she was wondering what was his deal.

"Tomorrow the entire school is going to see this," she laughed, staring at the photo where Haruhi's face was visible, and someone was leaning over, and their lips were on her arm.

* * *

 **A/N-I thought to make Ayanakoji a bit more antagonistic that she was in the anime and manga an expand her role in that way. I know I ended it with another cliffhanger, but the next chapter will be up soon :) Tell me what you think of this chapter. And I hope all of you are having a fun time preparing for Christmas. :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**I hope this will be a satisfying chapter.**

* * *

The end of winter was rainy and dark with the clouds in the sky. The heavy droplets were frosty and splashed on the ground with thudding. Haruhi felt them on her neck and old raincoat, as she walked to the school. The distance between the bus stop and the school wasn't great, but before she managed to get to the school, her hair was wet, sprinkled with the cold water and dampened in the chill air. The weather was frustrating, and she had forgotten to grab her umbrella when she left the house. Her hair clung to her neck like sticky, watery raisin and her skin shivered in aversion.

She rubbed her neck, trying to dry off the humid paste of rain, sticking to her skin like a glue. She normally didn't mind rainy days, but today her annoyance was greater, as the rain was swifter and murkier. Sometimes, it's hard to explain why certain simple things feel so uncomfortable, and the raindrops on her neck was one of those things for the girl. It was warm inside the school, and Haruhi didn't even need to shake her raincoat to get rid of the water drops that were lazily making patterns on the rough material of her outfit. The air was warm and cozy, and raindrops evaporated so quickly that she didn't even notice by the time she reached the locker to get her school shoes.

She leaned down to take off her muddy shoes and replace them with the softer and more comfortable classroom shoes when she noticed several students glaring at her. She wondered for a moment if she did something strange to catch their attention, and then wondered if they were actually staring at someone else, and it was just her imagination, but looking back and around her, she realized she was the subject of all of those pointed glares. She shook her head, and ignoring the other students, changed her shoes. Got rid of her raincoat and quietly folded it and placed in her locker drawer.

A buzz, that bees would envy, rose in the corridors she walked through. Everyone seemed to stare at her like she had grown a second head and couple of eyes. What has happened? And the whispering was so disjointed that she couldn't actually make out anything of what they were gossiping. She was used to getting strange looks by the other students in this rich kids' school for her poor fashion, lack of uniform, bad haircut, and academic brilliance, but today the looks she received contained a different kind of curiosity. It almost felt like she had done something terrible and now was being judged.

"Are you sure it was a student from our school?" she heard a girl from her class, talking under her breath. "I don't think anyone from Ouran would have looked at her twice."

The girl looked at Haruhi, blushed as if caught in crime and looked away quickly, pretending to be interested in her textbook. She was about to head to her classroom when she bumped into one of the Hitachiin twins―if she was not mistaken, it was Hikaru, the temperamental one. Even though they were in the same class, and she would see him often in the host club, she never interacted with him before. It almost felt strange to bump into him, and she quickly apologized. He looked at her suspiciously and then mumbled something she didn't catch.

"Haruhi," Renge's loud voice reached her among the headache-tearing noise.

"Renge-chan," she greeted her with a smile, but the redhead didn't look like she was happy to see her. She had a bit of a pout on her lips, and her eyebrows were knitted in discontent.

"Who's the guy you are secretly dating?" she demanded offended. "Cheater, you should have told me. Who is he?"

Haruhi's eyes went wide in bewilderment, as she didn't understand where those baseless accusations came from. "I am not dating anyone," she said mechanically and then, rubbing her forehead, asked. "Why would you think that? Where did you get that idea from?"

"Don't lie to me," Renge whined. "It's all over the school, and everyone had seen it. So don't think you can deny it."

"Seen what?" Haruhi asked now even more confused. "I don't understand."

"This," Renge screamed now, taking out a small poster and shoving it in Haruhi's face. "Who is this guy?"

Haruhi blinked. For a moment, she didn't recognize her own face. She was standing close to the school wall, and a man's face was over her arm. It was Kyoya, but nobody could see his face. The photo was taken from his back, and she was the only one recognizable in the image. So, this was what made everyone lose their mind? That's why they were giving her strange stares, as if she had demanded their firstborn to be sacrificed.

"Who is he?" Renge demanded, waving the poster. "It's all over the school and, probably, would be for the best if you told me who is this bastard."

"Ah," Haruhi rubbed her reddening cheeks, but before she could say anything, the vice-principle's secretary called her name.

"Fujioka Haruhi, please come with me to the vice-principle's office. Violation of school's student conduct code has been reported, and vice-principle would like to see you about it."

Everyone had frozen and was staring at her. Haruhi nodded and, glancing at Renge apologetically, followed the woman. This wasn't good. If she was called to the vice-principle's office, it meant she could lose her scholarship. She was not only supposed to maintain high grades, but have exemplary behavior. She felt uncomfortable realizing how everyone was looking at her.

What was she supposed to do? How was she able to explain the situation. She couldn't say anything in her defense without revealing Kyoya's secret. Not only she didn't want to give up that information about him, but she also realized that it would be a ridiculous explanation to justify herself. She couldn't tell the vice-principle that she was merely feeding one of the students who happened to be a vampire.

She nervously rubbed her palms against each other and walked into the vice-principle's office. Zennosuke Kazama was sitting in front of a beautifully crafted oak desk and eating a bowl of hot nabe. Haruhi found the act so strange that she had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating anything. Noticing Haruhi, the man left the food, rubbed his mustache and motioned the girl to sit in in the chair in front of his desk.

"Fujioka-san, the school's administration is very worried about the latest report of a student's inappropriate conduct and violation of a student behaviour code," the man said, slightly coughing. "It caught our attention that the posters of two students engaging in... in an unbecoming act within the school premises had been spread and that quite frankly hurts not only Ouran High School's reputation, but also violates all of our student conduct codes."

Haruhi gulped. This wasn't good. She was going to lose her scholarship, wasn't she?

"Now, the person who has spread these photos is not found yet, but when we find them they will be punished as well," the man continued, "I hope you understand your situation, Fujioka-san. This kind of behavior can get you expelled from school. Now, as this was for the first time, we will only take a disciplinary action and issue a warning if you agree to reveal the name of the other person who was in the photo with you."

Haruhi paled and looked at the vice-president with a look of a horror in her eyes. What was she supposed to do? She was in an unfortunate situation and didn't know what to do. He wanted her to tell the name of the student in the photo, but she couldn't do it without letting everyone know about Kyoya-senpai and if she did, she would involuntarily admit whatever the man and the rest of the school were thinking they were doing. She couldn't admit to something she didn't do, and she couldn't drag Kyoya-senpai into this mess.

"Fujioka-san," Kazama said coldly, noticing the girl's hesitation. "I don't think you understand the seriousness of your situation. You shouldn't cover the identity of the student you were with. I repeat, this scandalous behavior can get you expelled from school. I hope I am clear. Now, I know you are a scholarship student, and I know how hard you had to work to get here. Do you want all of that to go for nothing? If someone is pressuring you into doing something that you don't like, you should tell me... you can trust me. If some other student is forcing you... you should speak up."

What was he implying? Haruhi understood well what kind of game the vice-principle was playing. He was trying to be sympathetic and gain her trust. He was trying to put her at ease so she would confess by putting the blame on some other student, implying that she could have been a victim. This wasn't good, and she wasn't going to fall for it. She didn't do anything wrong, and she wasn't going to act like she did, even though she was probably going to lose her scholarship.

"Kazama-san," she said politely. "I think there is a big misunderstanding of what has happened. Nobody is forcing me to do anything..."

Her voice trailed off and as the door to the vice-principle's office was opened and someone walked in. She looked back to see who interrupted their conversation and was shocked to see Kyoya-senpai, standing there at the door.

.

"Can you believe what they are doing?"

"Is he kissing her arm?"

"That actually looks innocent. I don't understand what's the big fuss about?"

Kyoya unsuccessfully blocked the loud chatter around him. He stared at the photograph and gritted his teeth. If he caught whoever did this, they were going to be sorry. He wouldn't be Ootori Kyoya to let them off. It must have been that little bitch Ayanakoji Seika. He wrinkled his nose in annoyance. His face wasn't visible, but Haruhi would face problems. She could even lose her scholarship. Kyoya tightly pressed his lips. He wouldn't let it happen.

He glared at the gossiping students, and they quivered under his cold gaze. It was quite disgusting, and Kyoya was appalled by it. He couldn't stand gossip and shared his hatred of the act with his father. His father was also very strict about it, and the staff at Ootori estate feared him and didn't openly gossip. Although, Kyoya was sure that they did secretly, on their own time, when the Ootori patriarch wasn't around.

He walked up to the principle's office to speak about the issue, but was informed that he wasn't there, and vice-principle was investigating the scandalous incident at Ouran.

"I am here actually to speak about it," he told in an even voice.

The secretary nodded and gestured towards the door. Kyoya bowed politely and walked to the door. He gave a firm knock and opened the door. She was sitting in front of the old man, her shoulders slumped forward. She looked anxious and worried, and his heart skipped a beat when she looked back at him with her pretty eyes. He blinked and gave her a reassuring nod.

The vice-principle stood surprised, seeing him at the doors. "Ootori-san," he said politely. "I am sorry, but now I am busy with Fujioka-san. My secretary should have told you..."

"Good morning, Kazama-sensei," Kyoya gracefully bowed, without, cutting his gaze from Haruhi's worried expression. "She told me that you were questioning Haruhi-san about the photo incident, and I may be able to shed some light into the circumstance, which someone tried to use in this distasteful way to dishonor our school and disgrace the reputation of one of the students."

Haruhi shook her head. Surely, he wasn't going to tell the man the truth. That would put him at such risk. She gulped worried. The vice-principle looked intrigued, and he motioned Kyoya to sit down. He came forward and took the seat next to Haruhi's and giving her another firm nod, turned to Kazama-san.

"Do you happen to know who is in the photo with Miss Fujioka?" the man said with a slight smile. "Because she doesn't seem to understand the situation."

Kyoya's expression didn't change from the calm, relaxed demeanor his face already bore, but the man's words made him fume inside. He found it infuriating that he was using such condescending tone with Haruhi. Why was getting so pissed over how some man was treating a girl he happen to know? He cleaned his throat and nodded.

"That's why I have come here as soon as I saw the photograph, Kazama-sensei," he said courteously. "I am the person in the photograph with Miss Fujioka."

"What?" the vice-principle jumped up, knocking down his heavy armchair. He stared at Kyoya in complete disbelief and shock. Haruhi looked at him awkwardly. What was he doing? She wasn't sure this would end well for either of them. "What is that supposed to mean, Ootori-san?"

"I can't believe some stupid and reckless prank could have wasted your valuable time, Kazama-sensei," Kyoya said, shaking his head as if bewildered and frustrated. "I don't even know how they managed to make it look like I was kissing Miss Fujioka's arm, which let's be honest, wouldn't be a place of choice to kiss and any reasonable person knows that."

"Why not?" the man mumbled under his nose, but then realizing that he said that out loud fixed himself and cleaned his throat. "Are you saying you were not kissing, Fujioka-san's arm?"

"Of course not," Kyoya scoffed. "And I find it ridiculous that anyone would think someone like Haruhi-san could have acted against the school rules. She is a very respectful person and follows the school rules."

Haruhi blushed. It was strange to hear Kyoya-senpai speak like that about her to the vice-principle.

"Then what were you doing?" the man screamed. "Because I don't know what else I can think of this to be?"

"As you know a few weeks ago, some thugs had entered the school and attacked Haruhi-san," Kyoya said and there was a hint of accusation in his voice, which made Kazama-san shift in his armchair that he had lifted up earlier. "I was the one who took her to the hospital that day. She got quite a few injuries. She had asked me yesterday to take a look at them, because they were not healing. She knows that my family is engaged in medicine, and she was wondering if there is a reason why her wound wasn't healing. I took a look at it. The picture you are looking at is just a convenient angle that makes it appear as if I was closer than I was. I just didn't have my glasses on and had to look closer. I can't believe I had to explain something so simple."

Kyoya let out a dramatic, frustrated sigh and then grabbed Haruhi's hand to her surprise. "Here take a look at this," he said rolling up the sleeve of her jacket and exposing the bandaged wound which was left by his fangs. "I was looking at this. Miss Haruhi must have felt very embarrassed to have the whole school to gossip about her so shamelessly."

Kazama-san looked purple now. He was very embarrassed, too. "I suppose that makes more sense. Why would anyone kiss the arm if they were going to break the rules? I have told so to my secretary. But she... Doesn't matter. I am very sorry Haruhi-san. I will make sure the posters will be removed and whoever thought it's funny to start this prank will be found and punished."

"Thank you, Kazama-sensei," Kyoya said with a curt bow. "I am sure this has caused trouble for you and the school administration as well. Miss Haruhi looks shocked herself, and we both would like to put this behind us and continue our classes."

"Of course, Ootori-san," the man hurried to say. "Thank you for explaining the situation. Of course, a respectful student like you wouldn't do anything wrong."

Kyoya stood up and offered a tight smile to the man. "Haruhi-san, would you like to leave with me?" he asked.

Haruhi jumped up. "Yeah," she mumbled. "My classes must have started already."

They walked out together. Haruhi breathed relieved. "Thank you," she said, and when he nodded, she quickly added, "I need to go now. I don't want to be anymore late than I already am."

Staying alone Kyoya took a deep breath. He wouldn't let anyone to jeopardize her education at Ouran, and if Ayanakoji thought she could play games, she didn't know yet what he was capable of. The timid and more reserved part of his personality was always displayed, but he had a different layer of himself; something he wouldn't allow anyone to see, something he kept to himself and that part of him wouldn't bat an eye to make the girl pay for what she did. He had no patience for games like that.

He walked down the corridor, finding himself relax, as he heard the school's announcement of the photo being a fake prank and of the punishment the person responsible was going to receive. Ayanakoji has dug her own grave. He found her angry, seething and walking in circles impatiently. She glared at him when she realized he was looking.

"Seems like some people have no taste," she commented dryly.

Kyoya turned his head dismissively. "If you want to play dirty," he said quietly when she was passing by. "Then get ready to be humiliated."

* * *

 **A/N-I hope Kyoya's actions met your expectations. I have planned this arc long time ago, so after I wrote it, it felt different than I thought it would be.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I think I might finish this story very soon if I keep this pace.**

* * *

The rain had stopped, the pools of melted snow smeared on the ground and plashed down against the flower-patterned tiles. The raindrops sparked in translucent colors as they plummeted against the hard surface of the steps to the school, falling from the sides of multifaceted roofs that looked enormous and impressive in the grey, murky hues of late winter. The air smelled of earth and freshness. It was warmer than a week before, and students had walked out to stare at the puddles of rainwater. If the day were a person, he would be an old melancholic who always forgot where he stored the tea cookies, tea bags and served them only when they were old and stale, smelled of mildew and age.

Students chattered loudly, and everyone seemed to be still intrigued by the morning incident. When the vice-principle announced that photo was fake and was a prank, some of the students decided to approach and apologize to the honor student who suddenly became involuntarily famous in Ouran. Haruhi had to still explain to Renge that she didn't do anything, but Renge-chan, to Haruhi's surprise, seemed upset that she didn't have a secret boyfriend, after all.

"It seemed too good to be true," she knitted her eyebrows and snorted in disapproval. "Such a disappointment!"

The classes went well after that, and people stopped staring at her. Inside, Haruhi felt very content. She was so worried and scared that she didn't even know she could come out of the situation without getting any penalties. Kyoya-senpai was very good at convincing people and coming up with believable excuses. He had said everything to Kazama-sensei in such a tone and manner, that for a moment, Haruhi herself believed, she had merely asked him to take a look at her wounds. But there was something else that made her slightly upset, and she didn't figure out why. The way Kyoya-senpai dismissed the possibility of him kissing her arm kind of made her feel disappointed.

And what was she even thinking?

When the classes were over, she hurried to leave the school. The oval-shaped windows displayed the sullen and dark coloring outside, making her feel empty inside. The mood of the weather suddenly became her own mood, and she frowned, glaring at the sunless scenery. There was some hardness in her chest, something heavy and pressuring that didn't let her breathe freely. Was she sick?

"I was looking for you," she heard Kyoya-senpai's voice and spun to face him.

A soft blush tinted her cheeks when she met his ice-cold, grey eyes. Why did his eyes look at her in _that_ way? Was there something new in his gaze that she didn't observe before? She looked up at him timidly and sighed.

"I am heading home now, senpai," she said with a friendly smile. "Thank you for today. I didn't know what would happen to me if you didn't interfere."

His impassive face slightly lit up, and sides of his eyes widened to show affection and friendliness. The way he shifted closer, though, didn't make Haruhi feel comfortable. But she didn't shy away from his closeness. He was usually reserved and kept a respectful distance from her, so this sudden proximity affected her breathing and heartbeat. His uniform smelled of cool, relaxing detergent or maybe cologne―she could never tell the difference, and her brain found a sudden pleasant interpretation. His smell evoked feelings of completion and happiness in her.

He seemed to realize that his sudden propinquity had startled her, thus he took a short step back and straightened his posture in reassurance that the small allowance won't repeat. "You don't need to thank me, Haruhi," he said sincerely. "I am very upset for what happened, and I assure you, this won't happen again. I will make sure you don't have to face any troubles because you have helped me."

She waved her hands and smiled at him softly. "You speak as if it was your fault, senpai," she said. "I am really thankful. I was so shocked, I didn't even know what to say to Kazama-san. He must have thought that my silence meant I was guilty."

"Please, consider to tell me when you are in any trouble," he said politely. "I would hope our friendship is not one-sided in your eyes. If I can help you with anything, don't hesitate to tell me."

She nodded and smiled. His heart flattered, fawned and joyed to have that pleasant affection on her lips directed at him. "I will," she said.

"I rarely promise anything, but I think I will make an exception and promise you that I won't let anyone to do anything that will result in you losing your scholarship or being expelled from school."

Haruhi stared at him wide-eyed and lost. She understood what those words meant. "Senpai," she whispered in a low tone, blushing furiously.

"I mean it," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you," she mumbled again. "But it's alright, Kyoya-senpai. I will try to solve my problems with the person themselves."

"You know who did that?" Kyoya asked surprised. "Why didn't you tell me? Who was it?"

"Ayanakoji Seika," Haruhi sighed with a sad smile. "It's alright. It doesn't bother me at all."

"Why didn't you do something about it?" he asked surprised.

"What should I have done?" she laughed. "Wrote a complaint that she photographed me with you, senpai?"

Kyoya shook his head. He wasn't going to let this slide. He wasn't Haruhi, after all. She could be all sweet she wanted. He wasn't sweet, was he? He looked at the girl. There was only one person he saw that he intended to be remotely sweet with. It was Haruhi, and she was standing in front of him now, looking so cute. What was he even thinking? They were just friends, he'd better remember that.

"Alright," he nodded gracefully. "I won't hold you back any longer. You must want to return home."

"Yes," she agreed. "I have a lot of schoolwork to do."

She waved at him awkwardly and ran away. Kyoya looked after her and pressed his hand on his chest. What the hell was going on with him? His frail heart, that never beat steadily and was weak and void of blood, suddenly gained a hard pace and was thumping against his chest. His muscles tightened as she thought of him. The uncomfortable thoughts he never had of anyone suddenly were always around his mind whenever she was close. She has trapped him, didn't she?

He sighed and turned his head away when she was no longer in his sight. He needed to take care of that girl, or she was going to cause more problems. He had no intentions of letting Haruhi go from Ouran. In all honesty, Kyoya was quite pissed that he was being dragged into a silly high school drama. But Ayanakoji needed to be reprimanded. He could have always used the footage of her throwing Haruhi's bag into the pool, but that wouldn't accomplish much, rather than an half-assed detention.

The school wasn't going to punish her strictly. So, he needed to find something new about her. She was walking his way, a grumpy expression on her face, almost like a child who had been denied her daily candies. Kyoya stared at her pointedly, warning in his eyes and promise of retribution. He wanted her to know that she made a big mistake. She snorted lightly and made a small remark about his poor tastes.

As she passed by, Kyoya's face relaxed when he smelled her. He smiled. He would never assume he would be happy to smell burnt cigarettes clinging to someone's clothes. Her parents won't care about her abusing some poor commoner at school, but surely they would care to know that she was smoking at school, wouldn't they? Some of his peers' parents didn't care what their child did as long as it didn't directly hurt them. On that note, his father―Yoshio Ootori, was quite admirable. He would find it equally punishment-worthy had any of his children engaged in acts involving others.

That wasn't, of course, because his father was a saint, concerned with well being of others, but merely any kind of misconduct was a shortcoming of a character, and every flaw in person's character was a vulnerability his father detested. Anyone standing lower than him was purely ignored by the older Ootori, unless they dared to cross him, then his father was ruthless. Kyoya knew Ayanakoji's parents, and the only reason why she behaved in such a despicable manner was because they were spoiling her, forgiving all her actions, tantrums.

But he knew they wouldn't accept a scandal involving their daughter in the press. Scandal of her smoking cigarettes at school. Many people would love such scandals. And he knew couple of idiots just right in Ouran who wouldn't miss the opportunity to print their own 'scandalous' papers.

He took out his phone, "Hotta-san," he said politely. "There is something you need to do."

.

She didn't want to go home. She felt strange and a little empty, like something was missing, like she was sad, like someone had cut her air supply. Only there was no reason for her to feel this way. It must have been something she ate. She loved to eat and ended up always sick. Yes, all of these feelings of sadness and longing were a new kind of food poisoning. Haruhi shook her head, as she realized it was a bit ridiculous to think whatever she felt was food related.

Yet, she felt sad like the day her mother left them. She felt that longing in her chest, she felt the day after her funeral. She felt there was something that could make her feel fulfilled, but she didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the rain, and maybe, it was aftershocks of her panic that day earlier when she was called and questioned, or maybe it was something else.

And then there was Kyoya-senpai. He would come to her mind constantly, and she worried about his health. Maybe, she could grab a few books on the subject and read. The library was open, and there were rarely people at this hour. It was the perfect time for a visit. Maybe, she could find something useful. Her steps took her to the public library that wasn't located too far away from the school. And she quickly headed for the biology and medicine section.

There were many books, but none of them seemed to be what she was searching. She rubbed her forehead and kept shuffling through the books on the shelf. The books on genetic disorders didn't contain any information that would help her understand what was happening to Kyoya.

"I can't believe they don't have any books on that," a young woman's frustrated voice reached her ears, and Haruhi span around surprised.

It was a young woman, who had pretty, long hair and deep, dark eyes. She was pushing the books around and had a frown on her face. It seemed like someone wasn't happy, either. Haruhi smiled when the girl looked at her, and she smiled back.

"I am sorry," she said apologetically. "You might think I am crazy, screaming at a shelf of books. I just can't find a book I am looking for, and that's so frustrating."

"I understand," Haruhi nodded. "I am looking for a book too that I can't find, either, and if only these damn shelves could have talked back and told us if they had the books we wanted it would have been amazing."

The girl laughed wholeheartedly and honestly. "Now that would have been fantastic," she agreed. "What are you looking for?"

She bent her head and tilted it, "Books on _Genetics_ and _Molecular_ _Biology_?" Her eyebrows shot up. "You have quite the interest, or is it for school?"

Haruhi shook her head, "Personal interest," she admitted.

"Planning on becoming a biogeneticist?" she asked curiously, brushing back a soft curl that fell on her face.

"No," Haruhi smiled. "A lawyer actually. Seems strange, huh? And you? What are you trying to find that they don't have?"

"Not at all," she smiled, cheerfully. "You are just a lucky person to be interested in many things. I was just looking for a few good books on different cultures of the world. I study anthropology in the university of Madrid. I mean I was studying in Madrid, now I had to transfer to Tokyo by the request or should I say demand of my father."

"Oh," Haruhi looked at her sympathetically. "It must be difficult for you to transfer."

"I wasn't happy to be honest," she grinned. "But then I met this amazing guy, and now I don't regret coming back to Japan. Don't tell my father."

She winked at Haruhi, and Haruhi smiled in response. It was strange to converse with such a friendly, lighthearted person. She felt suddenly comfortable around her. She looked at the books in the shelf and spotted a book that seemed interesting.

"How about that book over there," she pointed.

Thw girl pulled it out and looked at it, then beamed. "This seems interesting. You have quite the eye for books I was staring at them for a while now. Thank you. Oh, so rude of me, I didn't introduce myself, I am Nanako, Nanako Shouji."

"It's nice to meet you, Nanako-san," Haruhi nodded with a friendly smile. "I am Fujioka Haruhi."

"It is nice to meet you, too," Nanako smiled and then she, startled by her phone buzzing, took out her cellphone, stared at the screen and rolled her eyes unhappily. "Seems like the world doesn't move forward if I am not around. I have to go. Thank you for finding the book and hope you will find what you were looking for."

Haruhi nodded and then waved at her when she waved her goodbye. It was strange. It was unusual, but lately unusual things stopped seeming so extraordinary, and she just shrugged what happened, turning her attention to the books on the shelf. If only she was as lucky finding what she was searching for, as she was for spotting the book for that strange girl.

Haruhi's attention snapped at a grey colored book that sat on the highest shelf on the right corner. For some reason, she thought it was what she was looking for, even though she couldn't quite see the title and the name of the author of the said book. She stood on the tips of her toes and stretched her arm up. Too short. She hopped, the floor made a screeching sound, stopping Haruhi. She frowned and sat down on the floor. Why were these shelves so tall?

She stood up angrily and, using another book, knocked the books from upper shelf. They fell on the ground emitting loud banging sounds. The gray book was on genetics and food. Haruhi smiled. She knew that it was what she was looking for. Very rarely, but in truth anyways, she would get a feeling about something, and it would come true or happen.

When she came home, her father was still at home. He was planning to leave for work though. Haruhi sat on the couch and started to read the books. She had taken almost every single one that had any relation to Kyoya's condition possibly.

"What are you reading?" her father asked, seeing all the books messily spread around her. He grabbed a book and wrinkled his face. "Biology?"

"I am helping a friend," Haruhi admitted, snatching back the book from her father's hands.

Ranka sniffled surprised, but didn't say anything. Recently, Haruhi became strange. She would stare at things for minutes and forget that she was in the room at all. First, he didn't pay attention to that, but her daydreaming became worse. Was there someone lurking around his sweet, little daughter? The mere thought made him fume inside him and angered him; nobody deserved Haruhi.

"I am leaving now," he told his little girl, but she only made a tiny sound, not caring to look at him, completely immersed in the book she was reading.

There must be someone, occupying her thoughts, Ranka thought gloomily.

 _"Kotoko, our little daughter has grown up."_

It was already deep evening when Haruhi started a book concerning genetic abnormalities that affected one's eating habits, made them sensitive to sunlight. The author went on to describe a particular genetic disorder that developed with age and affected the dietary habits of those who had the disorder. He argued that their bodies not only didn't exhibit intestinal maltase activity, thus not breaking glucose in food, but their digestive system deteriorated and stopped functioning completely. His arguments were that these type of abnormalities connected with the disorder made those suffering from it to engage in hematophagy.

Haruhi's heart started to beat faster. She wanted to know more. But the author didn't elaborate much on the causes and possible treatment. She looked up the man on the internet, hoping to find some more information on him, but it turned out that he had been discredited for his _'insane and ridiculous claims, making mockery out of the scientific community'_. His current address was listed as a remote island in Japan. Haruhi sighed. She couldn't go there, but maybe she could email him.

She wrote a small letter, asking him about his research on the subject and, after moment of consideration, sent it.

She was about to relax when her phone started to buzz impatiently. She reached for it and was surprised to see the caller id. Kyoya-senpai never called her, unless he had some reason. And there was no reason to call her at this hour. Did something happen? Her heart panicked. She clenched the hems of her sweater to calm her unexpectedly excited breathing and answered the phone.

"Kyoya-senpai?"

"Haruhi," his voice sent shivers down her spine. "Are you at home?"

"Yes," she mumbled confused.

"I apologize for not calling you beforehand," he said politely. "I am waiting outside your house."

* * *

 **A/N-So, guys, hope you had great Christmas and got plenty of presents. :) I am so thankful for the people who give attention to this story. You guys make me happy.**


	17. Chapter 17

**I sincerely hope to keep the current pace of the updates.**

* * *

"What?" Haruhi's face reddened. Her cheeks heated up, making her heart drum faster, and she looked so flustered that she covered her own face with her palm in embarrassment. "Give me a moment."

Turning off the phone, the poor commoner looked around panicked. She put on her shoes and, trying to fix up the scattered books and give the apartment a semblance of tidiness, ran for the door. Why did he come so late? What had happened? Why was she so excited? She walked out, and when the cold air whipped roughly against her face, bringing her back to her senses, she realized that she was wearing her pajamas. The blush on her face deepened, and she glowed furiously.

He was standing a few meters away. There was no one around, she couldn't even see his bodyguards. He glanced up at her slightly surprised but quickly schooled his features into a neutral expression. Haruhi cleaned her throat and, internally cursing herself for suddenly caring about something trivial like appearance, approached the young man. He was well dressed, and it was nice to see his slender form in something different other than the school uniform. Haruhi's confusion grew, as she realized that she was admiring his looks.

What was wrong with her?

His dark hair was groomed, his clothes were neat, he looked as charming as one could be, and his aesthetically pleasing, immaculate appearance made Haruhi feel even more conscious of her unkept and modest looks. Why did he need to be so clean and organized? It was almost unfair that she felt shy around him.

"I am sorry for an unexpected visit," he apologized politely with the most perfect bow. "I just wanted to see you. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

He wanted to see her? Haruhi's mind suddenly went blank, the words escaped her thought, and she stood there, gaping like an idiot. She shifted uncertainly, and he, noticing her hesitation, smiled. "I have brought you fancy tuna. I thought you said you liked it."

He stretched a box towards her, and Haruhi clumsily accepted it. "Thank you, Kyoya-senpai," she mumbled, finally getting her voice back. "I apologize for my appearance," she mumbled more to herself, wondering if she even needed to apologize for looking like she just stepped out of the bed.

"You don't need to," his voice was warm and friendly, she didn't hear the hints of superiority that the rich and impeccably dressed students at Ouran used with her. "You look quite... cute, if I may say."

He smiled, and his sharp, long fangs were revealed, inciting a strange feeling in Haruhi.

"Would you want to come in?" she asked awkwardly, fidgeting the box of fancy tuna in her hands. He pushed the glasses on his nose and nodded, as if he was waiting for her invitation. Haruhi looked around to make sure there were no neighbors around, before letting Kyoya in. She didn't care, but there was no need to stir gossip in the neighborhood that she had young men visit her home at late hours.

When he walked in, and she closed the door behind them, she accidentally bumped against him. Her face was close to his chest, and she inhaled his consuming smell. The tiny hair on the back of her neck whisked up curiously, warm tickles spread inside her stomach, her breathing slowed, and she looked up at him startled. Kyoya-senpai's smell drove her mind to strange shores where the world seemed brighter, colored in warmer shades. She blinked and gulped audibly. Something warm was moving inside her, cherishing her nerves gently.

"Come in," she barely whispered, completely confused by what was happening to her.

Kyoya took out his shoes and put them aside politely. The floor was clean, and the house was generally very tidy, but his attention caught heap of books on the table and sofa. Haruhi must have been reading when he called her. She looked so flustered, and those rosy cheeks made his heart freeze, boiled his blood, evaporated his thoughts. Endorphin quickly moved in his bloodstream, clouding his thinking. Haruhi's pheromones coated his nostrils, and he inhaled sharply to keep her scent in his head. The scent of her delicious blood that soothed his hardened muscles.

He walked forward, accepting her invitation, and his eyes caught the title of the books on her table. They all were on biology and genetics. What was she doing on her spare time? He sat down, looking around, wondering if her father was home.

"Are you alone?" he asked surprised.

"Yes," she said. "Dad is at work."

"I am sorry," he apologized again. "If I knew I wouldn't disturb you. I assumed he would be home. It would have been nice to meet him and introduce myself."

"What for?" Haruhi panicked.

"We are friends, and it would have been nice if your father knew who you are friends with," Kyoya said with amusement, as if her reaction made him somehow happy.

"Oh," Haruhi sighed dumbly. And what did she even assume he would say?

"But mainly I came to talk to you about the incident at school and wanted to make sure you were alright," Kyoya confessed.

"Thank you for your concern, senpai," she mumbled. "I am alright. I am not made of glass or anything. I can handle myself."

He shifted away, wondering if he had offended her with his insistence. Her pearl-shaped eyes stared back at him with certain intensity that bore holes in his soul. If he were oblivious to what he felt, he would assume that he had a cardiac spasm, and his brain didn't get enough oxygen or blood. It was a shame to admit that he wanted her, and to his horror, in more than one way. His father came to mind, and he childishly felt triumphant inside that his heart fell for a common girl. The old man would have his head for this, but Kyoya didn't care.

 _There were lines he wasn't supposed to cross_ , he minded himself bitterly.

"After the incident I have thought over our _arrangement_ ," he said, uttering the last word with a bit of hesitation, "and I realize that you are putting yourself in a very vulnerable position by giving me your blood. It's very likely that Ayanakoji or some other student will eventually stumble upon _us,_ and I can't accept that kind of burden to lay on your shoulders because of my own _strangeness_."

Haruhi opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head disapprovingly. "I can handle myself as well," he said with a smile.

"No," she said louder than she expected. "It's not about being able to handle yourself. Where are you going to get blood from? You said you had allergic reaction to the blood you were always having. Doesn't that mean that you won't be able to drink it? You can't starve yourself, because of some spoiled brat. And so what that she saw? Who cares what they would think?"

Her words flew out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Her face had coloured a few shades darker, and there was passion and fire in her voice. Kyoya stared at her in complete disbelief. "I won't accept it," she said vehemently. "You are giving up because of nothing. Besides this arrangement was between me and you, and it's not your call. I should decide what to do with my own blood."

Her voice had undertones of panic and nervousness, as if the very idea of not sharing her blood with Kyoya-senpai, scared her. She shook her head, puzzled with her own behavior.

Kyoya looked even more startled, and he had tilted his head to get a better view of her face that looked absolutely adorable when she was angry like a little kitten, who has gotten her tail accidentally stepped on. The very comparison brought a smile to his lips, and he felt amused, but Haruhi's outburst was so strange that he didn't manage to utter any word. She had sat forward on the couch and was facing him. Kyoya's hurt fluttered, and the next thing he did, made his own mind go blank.

He leaned forward and pushed her against the pillows on the couch, pressing her back against the frame. Her eyes widened and so did his, because he was as surprised by his own incoherent actions.

"Senpai," she mumbled confused. "Are you hungry?"

He didn't hear what she said, because the blood in his body had ran to his head, and now he was feeling faint. Her scent overwhelmed and consumed his senses at once. He let out a low grunt, and his lips touched hers. They were warm and soft and strangely enveloping. Kyoya's body tensed, and he jerked forward, accidentally piercing his fangs into her flesh. She winced from sudden rough contact, and he retreated, horror in his eyes, and stared at her apologetically and confused.

"I am sorry."

She rubbed the puncture on her lip and then licked the blood that dripped from it. Raising her head, she looked at Kyoya. He looked so remorseful, and she suddenly felt the urge to hug him. What was going on with her?

"I..." she whispered and bent her head. She wanted to return that warm, tingly feelings she experienced when he planted his lips on hers.

Her senpai's body was warm, and she snuggled against him when she pressed her lips to his. She wondered what she was supposed to do. What were people doing when they were doing this? The mechanics of the kiss always looked strange for her whenever she would watch a film and the heroes kissed. His smell now was so close, her heart flipped around her chest, cold shivers passed through her spine, and her toes curled.

He wasn't moving. Was she doing something wrong? She pressed her lips harder, wondering if that was all she was supposed to do when suddenly he hugged her close, making her lightheaded with his embrace. His lips moved. She couldn't tell exactly how. Her eyes were shut close, and she didn't dare to open them. But the movement felt wet and soft. It was as if he rubbed his own lips over hers, and perhaps, that's what he did. Haruhi decided to imitate him. But before she could, he broke the kiss and looked at her, blinking his eyes.

There was an atypical fascination in those molten gray orbs, his lips were parted and slightly red. Both of them were flushed and looked at each other clumsily. Haruhi bent her legs and pressed them tightly against each other.

"You should not," she said, looking away. "We will find a place at school that nobody ever goes."

Then Kyoya realized that she was talking about her blood. His feelings were in a mess. He didn't understand what he was supposed to say. What one said in such situations? Did she kiss him intentionally? She looked back at him so innocently, he couldn't tell what she thought. He was sure though, she didn't feel the immense lust and rush he felt. He gulped. He needed to get away before he would do something stupid, or say something stupid.

"We can talk about this tomorrow," he said in raspy voice. "It's late I don't want to keep you from resting. You were already dressed for bed."

Haruhi blushed. "Alright," she said a little aggravated.

 _Bastard! Did he need really to point that out? Why was her heart beating like it was the end of the world? Was she supposed to say something about the kiss? Maybe, compliment him? What did people say after kissing? Renge-chan would know. And why did it feel so good? Would he mind if she kissed him again?_

He stood up and polietely bowed. "Good night, Haruhi."

"Ah, you are already leaving?" she asked, coming back to her senses from her mental rambling.

"You want me to stay?"

"No!" she screamed so loudly she almost had woken up the entire neighborhood. "I am sorry, that sounded wrong. What I meant is that you don't have to stay."

Kyoya smiled cheerfully to her dismay and put on his shoes. "Good night, Haruhi," he said before leaving.

.

The sunlight had fallen in through her bedroom window, making her feel more lethargic than awake when she opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and tried to get used to the eye-piercing sunshine, prodding through the glass window. She shut her eyes tightly and grunted. God, she had such a terrible headache. Her body felt tender and sore, and she wondered if she didn't accidentally sleep-work the entire night.

"Ugh," she groaned, slipping on her house shoes and walking into the bathroom.

Her face hurt when she yawned, all of her muscles felt strained and weary, her spine was heavy and rigid, and she felt dizzy like she had eaten something foal. She rubbed her forehead, trying to sooth the growing sharp pain in her head. What had happened to her while she was asleep? She felt like a well-beaten dog. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, and every time the brush touched her gums, she felt an unpleasant burning sensation.

"I feel like my head is going to explode," she complained, walking into the kitchen where her father was pouring tea.

"What has happened?" Ranka looked at her with concerned face. "Are you sick?"

"I think it's nothing really," Haruhi sighed, regretting her earlier words―she didn't want her father to worry about her. "The school break is in three weeks, and you know... the final exams are making me feel―I guess―a little more exhausted than I would like."

Yes, it must have been all the recent extensive studying. The school year was ending, and she wanted to do well before moving to her second year. Spring vacation was close enough, and she could rest a little and do things she enjoyed to do. She cleaned her throat and sat down to have breakfast with her father. The freshly baked eggs, tea and jam were actually very tasty. Her father always burnt the toast, but today he managed well.

She smiled at him gently when she noticed his worried eyes. Her smile reassured him, and he smiled back at her, and they ate in silence. But the pain in Haruhi head didn't stop, if anything it grew, and she started to feel strange burning sensation in her legs. Her throat became dry and sore. She drunk a whole mug of tea and then even milk, but the dryness didn't go away.

The tingly, strange feeling started to run up her skin, and when she walked out, the early spring cold air didn't seem cold at all. She felt hot, as if her body was on fire. Her breathing grew hard when her muscles heated up even more. She felt like she was going to faint. It must have been her period. No, it couldn't have been that. But the burning feeling inside her didn't let go.

Even during the classes, Haruhi felt sick and slowly, she lost the perception of time or reality at all. Everything blended and felt foggy in her head. She didn't hear a word her teachers said, nor any of the things Renge-chan spoke about. She concentrated all her strength on breathing. There was something burning under her skin, something was heating up, making her lose her mind like she needed to relieve some kind of need she didn't know she had.

"Haruhi, where are you going?" Renge-chan called after her, but she didn't turn back. "What's going on with you today?"

She needed to be in an open room, felt too hot and the air was too thin inside. She couldn't breathe at all. She hurried to leave the classroom and walked down the stairs. The spring started with pleasant drizzle, and the snow was melting. Haruhi breathed in the soft air and tried to calm her blazing lungs. Her heart was getting wild as well, and her head was becoming heavier and heavier.

Her steps took her to the Ouran gardens. She wondered if she could walk back as her legs were starting to shake with each step she took. Black spots appeared in front of her eyes, and she knew that she was loosing her consciousness. Her vision was getting clouded. The light was graying and fading in front of her eyes. She stopped and leaned against the wall. If she fainted here, nobody would find her. She needed to get back to school, maybe go to the nurse's office.

She stepped forward, but her legs trembled, and she stumbled. She thought she was going to drop on the ground when she felt someone hands on her shoulders, keeping her up and then lifting her to her feet. She span around confused, and her glazed eyes met Ootori Kyoya's icy gaze. His scent suddenly touched her nostrils, and her head momentarily cooled as if it was hit by an arctic wind. He was cold and comforting.

"Haruhi?" he asked concerned. "Are you alright? You look like you are going to faint any moment."

"I am burning," she whimpered. "I am burning everywhere. It's too hot. I don't understand what is going on with me. Do I have a fever?"

Kyoya placed his palm on her forehead and shook his head. "I am not the best judge, but it doesn't appear you have any fever."

He tried to steady her, so she could stand on her own, but her legs wobbled, and she nearly fell, only to be embraced by Kyoya again. This time he didn't let go off her, he wrapped his hands around her waist and kept her still. Something was wrong with her.

"I'll take you to the nurse, and we can call for a doctor," he said tenderly. "You will be alright. It must be some flu you have caught."

"Wait," she suddenly protested. Kyoya stared at her with concern. "What if I am turning into a vampire. I wouldn't want the nurse to know."

"You are not turning into anything," Kyoya insisted. "Don't worry. But you need to be examined, so the doctor can give you medicine."

"I really am burning," she protested again and rubbed her neck in despair.

Her soft fragrance reached his smell receptors, and he froze in place. This wasn't right at all, she smelled a little different now. If before she smelt good enough to drive him mad, now this new smell it was... it was _consuming_ , it was feasting upon his control, it was ardent, intense and overwhelming like a hurricane that wipes everything clean on it's way. He clenched his hands. No, he couldn't stand so close to her. But he couldn't fight his instincts either. And then he felt it, a strange _blood-rush_ in her, as if she had just produced more blood than her body could contain and was getting higher blood pressure. This must have been why she was feeling tipsy and on the verge of fainting.

His body went tense against her, and he knew that she felt it too. She was pressed too close, too intimately against him. She must have felt it, if not the madness he was driven into by the smell of her aromatic blood, he would have been embarrassed and flustered.

"I think," Haruhi mumbled. "I think there is something under my skin. Something too warm. Maybe I should just cut off or I will burn myself."

Her trembling hands started a frantic search in her schoolbag. And then she looked up at him. "Your teeth," she said. "They are sharp enough. Cut into my neck."

"What?" he wanted to do nothing more than comply, but the rational part of his brain protested.

"Please," she said. "I can feel it. If you just cut into it. I am sure it will stop. I know it will stop. Just do it."

Haruhi's incoherent sentences touched his ears softly. She didn't understand what she was speaking. What had happened to her? What had happened to _them_?

"There," she said, pulling aside her jacket, exposing her creamy, soft neck. "Do it, please, senpai!"

He glimpsed at the soft curve of her neck, and his mind went blank. He pulled her closer, and his fangs gladly found their home in the tender flesh of Haruhi's neck. Kyoya's mind marveled, as her blood went into his mouth, his senses sang in mirth, his body relaxed and calmed. He licked her blood slowly and twirled his tongue to experience every facet of her taste. Her blood had always been fantastic, but now it made him _mad with lust_. He knew he could have drunk her all and not be sated. If heaven felt or tasted anything, this must have been it for Kyoya. The pain, the unhappiness of being what he was, the suffering of years suddenly seemed worth of the gulp of her blood he sampled in his mouth.

The drops of her delicious blood, her sweet fragrance that coated his rationality with thirst seemed to be all that mattered. And he sunk his fangs deeper, lapped the blood that oozed out of her veins. The sound of the wind reached him, but it seemed to be far away, the sound of her soft voice reached him, but he couldn't understand her words. He was too overwhelmed to understand anything at all. He brushed his lips on her skin to prevent the wound from clotting, so he could drink more.

Rationality abandoned his head, and all he was left with was her taste and scent. Gradually, his self-control came back, and he found himself horrified at what just happened, yet, he couldn't untangle himself from her neck, he couldn't let go of her body, and she was...she was relaxed, soft and soothing. Mastering all his will, Kyoya stepped away from her, without letting her go from his arms and with peculiar realization stared at Haruhi. He thought she would be distraught, scared but she looked content, happy even.

"It went away," she sighed. "The burning went away."

* * *

 **A/N-I am very nervous about this chapter, so please, tell me how I am doing. I hope it didn't turn too strange or rushed.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you so much for the feedback for the last chapter; it motivated me to write this one quicker.**

* * *

Kyoya's flushed face surprised Hotta, when the bold-headed man opened the door to the car and handed him a yellow folder. Kyoya, who was indeed blushing for some reason, opened the envelop and peeked in. He closed it swiftly and focused his attention on the driver, who looked a little startled by his young master's flustered face.

"Did you send them to her family?" he asked flatly, making the man more alarmed.

"Yes, sir," he replied readily and bowed. "I closely followed your instructions and handled everything discreetly. Is that all, sir?"

"Yes, thank you, Hotta-san," the young man said after moment of thought in a pleasant tone and discarded the folder aside.

The man bowed again and, then closing the door, headed for the chauffeur's seat. The car promptly moved, leaving splashes of melted snow on the sidewalks. The early spring drizzle had drenched the streets and spritzed some of its aromatic, earthy droplets on the trees that would blossom soon, because the nature had woken up from its sweet slumber and was ready to blow its fertile breath over the earth.

Those frozen icicles had melted, and Kyoya's heart melted too, and he wasn't sure he was ready to be warm. As the car moved forward through the streets of the city, he closed his eyes and tried to remove her flushed face from his consciousness. The entire incident between them was so strange, he didn't even know what to think about it. What has happened to Haruhi's blood? It has changed in a peculiar way; it became so enchanting and intoxicating, he still felt drunk. There must have been some kind of explanation.

Kyoya leaned against the seat and rubbed his cheeks. Haruhi's blood was so warm, and it was flooding his system with prurient thoughts. He shifted in his seat in furtive manner, a little embarrassed with himself and grabbed the folder his driver had handed him earlier. The photographs inside were more than he could ask for to get the little brat behave herself. Ayanakoji Seika's family wasn't going to be happy about it. But that's exactly what Kyoya was hoping.

In the meantime, he needed to understand the strange taste shift in Haruhi's blood, or it would drive him completely mad. He didn't know how he would react next time he came face to face with her, and Kyoya didn't particularly like losing control over himself. He couldn't risk unpredictable behavior, especially, with her. The car entered through the Ootori security gates and parked in the yard of the estate. Aijima-san hurried to open the door for him, and he walked home, grabbing the yellow folder.

"Kyoya-kun?" his mother stumbled upon him, as he was heading to his room. He paused and politely greeted her. There was a strange apprehension in her eyes. She must have noticed the deep blush on his face that even the menacing coldness of Ootori mansion walls couldn't freeze down. "Are you tired? Your father insists on your presence at family dinner."

"I will be in a minute, Mother," he answered courteously and disappeared in the shadows of the long hall.

He wondered what made the Ootori patriarch summon him for dinner this time. He had rejected his demands of medication treatment several times, and he was sure his father knew better than to use the same tactics that failed him, rather than find a new way to manipulate him into compliance. No, this was about something else, and judging by the way his mother looked at him, he knew that she had no idea about what his father was planning.

Getting to his room, he took a shower in a futile attempt to cool himself down and changed into a neat button-up shirt and dress pants. His father detested unkept appearance, and if he requested his presence, Kyoya didn't want to draw any attention towards himself.

"Wow," Akito gasped, seeing him and then chuckled. "I don't remember seeing any color on your face other than the deadly pale. Had you by any chance robbed a blood bank?"

Kyoya snorted and glared at him. "Very amusing," he said dryly.

"What!?" Akito complained. "Have you seen the blush on your face? It almost looks like..."

His voice trailed off, as he noticed their father entering the dining room in quick, hasty steps. The maids hurried to serve the food when they all sat down at the table. Kyoya rubbed his temples frustrated when he realized that the rest of the family was also glancing up at his flushed face curiously. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and sighed in a low voice. The dinner was going to be tense.

"This is for you," Yoshio stretched a blood filled medical plastic bag towards Kyoya. "I know I have said a few days ago that you won't receive anymore, but this is the final time. I hope you understand."

Yoshio's hand hang in the air, as Kyoya tentatively eyed his father. He wasn't an idiot and knew that the old man didn't bring another blood bag out of his bleeding heart and concern for his youngest son; he was just testing him. But it seemed Kyoya was the only one who realized it, judging by the soft gasp from his mother lips, who looked lovingly at her husband―a little relieved and grateful and ire gaze his eldest brother shoot at him. Akito looked intrigued and glanced between Yoshio and Kyoya. After all, nobody knew about the incident in the old man's study.

"Thank you, Father," Kyoya said politely and took the blood bag.

His mother's sudden shift in seat grabbed his attention, as he placed the item in his plate. She took her spoon confidentially, as if truly happy to dine with family. Most days she looked like the food was choking her, and she would rather be in another place, but her body language told Kyoya that day that she was going to enjoy her meal. And he felt guilty; because of him his mother felt always sad. She smiled at him when she noticed his gaze.

Kyoya sighed and took the blood bag. When he rolled the tube to be able to drink the blood from the open slit, the smell of it nauseated him, and he turned his head in revulsion. He gulped, and shut his eyes, trying to concentrate on controlling himself. The blood smelled foal, like it had rotten and was covered in mold. Kyoya's face twisted in disgust when the smell reached him.

"Are you alright?" Akito, who was sitting next to him, asked surprised.

"Yes," Kyoya replied politely, closing the slit of the tube and putting it down. "I am just not hungry."

Yoshio's eyes twinkled curiously, and he sighed. The old man must have suspected that he wouldn't be able to drink the blood and was just testing to see if that was the case for certain.

"I have requested the presence of all of you for this dinner," Father spoke, and if Kyoya felt bold, he would have mouthed how they always were present for all dinners they wanted it or not, but he wasn't feeling very adventurous. "Because I have an important announcement to make," the old man declared.

 _What was on his mind this time?_

"Ishida Hideyo from Pharmatech company approached me a while ago, and I must say I have decided it is time to see marriage arrangements for my sons. Ishida's daughter Yuriko-san will be an appropriate bride for Yuuichi. The formal meeting will be held next week, and if everything goes according to my plan, I think Yuuichi will be married by the end of the year."

Saori covered her mouth, surprised by the sudden decision. She looked at her husband a little worried and then glanced at the eldest son. Akito let out a smothered laugh and tried not to burst into a laughing fit in front of his whole family.

"Poor girl," he sniggered, earning Kyoya's glare.

Kyoya stared at his eldest brother who looked like he didn't care either way and wasn't bothered at all by the way his life was being scheduled and planned by their father. Yuuichi only nodded and then turned his attention to his food. Kyoya couldn't decide what disturbed him more; the fact that their father was planning their life with such ease and lack of consideration, or that his eldest brother didn't give a damn about it. Yuuichi's docile obedience was disturbing.

Kyoya was the first to excuse himself and leave for the family library. He didn't really feel comfortable sitting in the room with his family, besides that, he couldn't eat anything. The silence, where the high raising shelves full of books lay, was comforting. Kyoya admitted begrudgingly that recently he hadn't enjoyed enough silence. Concentrating on reading took his mind away from Haruhi and her creamy, soft neck. But he didn't get to enjoy that silence too long.

"I knew I would find you here," Akito spoke in his grating, amused tone.

Kyoya silently cursed and turned to face his brother; he had a glass of whisky in his hand, his tie undone and looked a little too excited for Kyoya's liking.

"I thought you would stay longer and finish your dinner," Kyoya commented, turning back to his book.

"Yeah," Akito said with a sigh, as if that's what he had assumed as well, then turned and, pulling a chair, sat in front of Kyoya. "But I wasn't hungry, and Yuuichi's boring reaction put me off."

Boring reaction? Their eldest brother didn't react at all if that was possible.

"What were you expecting?" Kyoya said flatly. "Crying hysterics?"

"Well, at least, not him being more interested in his food than the possible marriage," Akito chuckled. "Poor girl, she is doomed. If she is not a patient with strange illness, I don't imagine Yuuichi paying any attention to her or even..." he tittered and crossed his legs. "Even getting into bed with her."

"Akito-san," Kyoya rolled his eyes. "I don't see why you are so interested in Yuuichi-san's sexual preferences."

"Of course, if he has any!" Akito chuckled again and seemed to find the topic particularly amusing. "I am just concerned about my future sister-in-law, that's all."

Kyoya put down his book and looked at Akito quizzically. "If I were you, I would be more concerned about the other sister-in-law our father has in stock. Do you think after Yuuichi's marriage Father is going to let you continue your merry bachelor life? I would be more concerned about that and less on Yuuichi-san."

The teasing expression faltered from Akito's face, and he became serious. That was true. If Yuuichi got married, Yoshio would seek another arrangement for Akito.

"And I don't think he will be happy to learn about your commoner girlfriend, either. What are you planning to do?"

"And what about your girlfriend?" Akito asked with a sigh.

"I don't have a girlfriend," Kyoya said with an almost amused chuckle.

"Oh, please don't feed me that bullshit about you being friends with her," Akito rolled his eyes. "I had seen how you were staring at her, and if she isn't your girlfriend, it's only because you are too scared to make any moves. But that is probably for the best. You will just get hurt in the end. It's not good to start these relationships with your condition. If she finds out about you illness, she is gong to run like a bat out of hell."

Kyoya looked away. Was it really what most people would do? Run away from him? Then why was Haruhi still around?

"Why do you think she would run away?" he wanted to know.

"Are you kidding me?" Akito gave him a look. "You think you are the main character of a supernatural romance novel where the heroine's kind heart saves you all. God, you are so naive if you think your blood diet is going to make a pleasant impression on her."

"She is a friend," Kyoya said curtly. "I just wanted to know your reasoning on why Haruhi-san would run away if she knew about me."

Akito was wrong. Not everyone would run away. She wouldn't ever, and she didn't care about his illness. It was almost surreal how normal Haruhi treated him.

"Well at least, Father won't make me marry anyone," Kyoya teased his brother. "I think, it would be for the best if you tell her the truth. Her name was Nanako, right? You should tell her the truth about you, and what she should expect."

"I can't," Akito sighed again and swallowed the contents of his glass. "I like her a lot, and I like our relationship. I am the second son, and so I don't think I should hold the same responsibilities as Yuuichi."

"If Father finds out about your affair with that girl, he will skin you alive," Kyoya said more like a joke, but they both knew that the Ootori patriarch was a ruthless man when it came to his children's obedience. He wouldn't ever accept Akito's relationship with a common girl. He wouldn't consider her worthy of the Ootori name, nor even of Akito, whoever she was, and Kyoya knew that regardless of how irritating and unserious Akito could be at times, he was very obedient and wouldn't go against their father.

"God, I don't even want to think about it," Akito mumbled. "If he finds some boring, pea-headed bitch and makes me marry her, I will go crazy."

"She might be a nice girl," Kyoya joked.

"Anyone who isn't Nanako isn't interesting to me."

"I assume, you are head over heels in love with her," Kyoya said with a hint of disapproval in his voice. "Just make sure there are no children out of wedlock, or Father really would skin you alive."

.

Saori closed the door and sat down; she leaned against the soft cushions and closed her eyes. Yuuichi's marriage was going to make a lot of headlines, and she wasn't sure she was ready for journalists roaming around the Ootori household. Her husband would of course take care of that, he always did, but she didn't feel very happy. She sighed frustrated that she had no idea about anything and grabbed her cream. If she stressed more, she was going to get wrinkles.

There was a firm knock on the bedroom door, and she jumped up, thinking it's her husband. He normally never entered the bedroom unless he planned to sleep and recently he had spent a few sleepless nights in his office. He must have been really tired. She quickly fixed her skirt and cleaning her throat, invited him in.

"Saori-sama?" the maid opened the door and popped her head in indecisively. _So, it wasn't her husband._

"Miwa-san," she said politely, "come in."

The woman walked in and closed the door behind her. She looked around quickly as if to make sure that they were alone and then leaned forward with a big grin on her face.

"I have found her, Saori-sama," she said almost triumphantly.

"Found her?" Saori quirked a brow. "Found who?"

"The girl," the woman whispered. "Haruhi Fujioka, the honor student at Ouran who has written that note to young master."

"Oh," Saori said, finally realizing what the woman was speaking about. "You know her address?"

"Of course," she took out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to her mistress. "I have found so much more information about her if you have time Saori-sama."

Saori stared at the address and nodded. "Um... did you...? Did anyone notice you?" she asked. "You know if my husband finds out―"

"Don't worry," she waved her hand proudly. "I was very subtle. Nobody would know a thing. I might not be Harada-san, and I might not have those fancy toys they use, but I sure know how to get my hands on information I want. If things were different, I could have been a journalist."

Journalists didn't do what Miwa-san assumed they did, but Saori smiled regardless.

"Didn't have the money for college," the woman said with a sigh. "But I have talent."

A talent Yoshio would fire her for, if he found out that she was gossiping around, but Saori needed to at least once in her life be ahead of her husband.

"You had a niece living with you Miwa-san," she asked, remembering that the woman would take day-offs for taking care of her sister's daughter.

"Yes," the woman sighed again. "She is all I have after my sister's death. Her idiot of the husband ran away, leaving the child behind, and now I am taking care of her."

Saori felt bad for the woman and she smiled sadly. "I could perhaps include her in a charity program we are doing so she can get a good education."

"I would be so thankful, Saori-sama," the maid screamed to Ootori Yoshio's wife's surprise.

She smiled awkwardly worried that the maid's scream would bring the security to her bedroom, and she didn't want her husband to suspect what she was up to.

"Are you planning to visit and give that girl a piece of your mind?" Miwa-san grinned at the prospects.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Saori hurried to say. "I wouldn't want Kyoya-kun and my husband to know about this. If I meet her, they will find out. I wonder if my husband already knows about her. Can you find out, Miwa-san."

"Of course, I can," the woman said proudly. "You can't imagine how much those young boys talk once you praise them a little."

Saori didn't really want to know, but that was besides the point. She nodded with an awkward smile and dismissed her.

* * *

 **A/N-Hope everyone had a great New Year. And I hope it isn't as cold where you guys are! hahah! Tell me what you think of this chapter. Do you think Saori will take Kyoya's side? Are you looking forward Yoshio finding out about Haruhi? And what do you think of Yuuichi?**


	19. Chapter 19

**I hope you like this chapter.**

* * *

The spring breeze, scented of fresh cherry blossoms, blew towards him and assaulted his nostrils with the gentle, flowery fragrance. The wet ground smelled of freshly blooming grass and of wet soil, making his brain shiver with happy memories of childhood days when he would sit in the garden and follow the sprouting flowers come forth from beneath the fecund loam. Kyoya straightened his posture and walked up to school in his well-measured, steady pace. His inquisitive gaze traveled over the students gathered at the entrance of the school, hoping to see the pearl-eyed brunette he unwittingly grew affections for.

His heart sped up sharply, as his thoughts betook themselves towards her. He rubbed his chest, looking around anxiously, feeling like everyone else could hear his rapid heartbeat, and inhaled frustrated. The air was never enough for his lungs, heart and brain when he thought of her. Was it her blood calling him like that? Or was it something else; something sinister and bone-chilling like... feelings of _love_?

He shook his head. _How utterly stupid!_ How could he be so foolish and gullible? The feelings he experienced were nothing more than basic chemical reactions; bodily and mental illusions. And then he remembered the touch of her soft lips, and his whole being protested, displeased with his perspective. Love, too, was a chemical reaction, and that reaction hadn't proceeded in his body without the catalyst that was the chocolate-haired, pretty Fujioka Haruhi.

Even in the most material level he was _in love_ with her; his body yearning for her, her very presence causing series of chemical reactions, forming metabolic pathways, increasing-decreasing his body temperature―something nothing and nobody could cause, and what was the strangest and the most frightening is that these reactions were possible only with certain enzymes that his body lacked. Her smell, her blood, the pheromones her body produced had attacked his central nervous system and infected him with these strange feelings.

He felt lost again and swallowed the thickness in his throat. He needed to stop thinking about her. It was an idle exercise for his lonely mind. He sighed and continued to walk to the building. His attention grabbed something unusual in the far corner of the school gates. Wasn't that Ayanakoji Seika's father? He was speaking with someone, and he appeared to be furious about something. Kyoya tilted his head and noticed his daughter. He was having a heated argument with her, and she was crying. The man didn't seem to be affected by her tears, because he continued to scold her with the same indignant expression on his face.

She turned back and looked at Kyoya, then cleaned the tears on her face with the sleeve of her dress and averted her eyes. Kyoya exhaled slowly and walked past by her, only stopping to greet her father in the most polite way possible. The man was a little startled to be interrupted, but recognizing Ootori's youngest son, greeted him in response. Kyoya didn't say anything else, even his face didn't bear any indication of him feeling triumphant or happy. He looked like he didn't consider this an achievement, and Ayanakoji glared at him frustrated.

Kyoya though was relieved. Now the little brat would stop harassing Haruhi if she knew what was good for her, or next time Kyoya wasn't going to be so nice to her.

.

"I will miss him so much," Renge whined again, cleaning the new droplets of tears that her eyes, for some reason, kept producing. "I can't live without him."

Haruhi looked at the redhead dumbly and a little confused by the over-the-top way she exaggerated Mori-senpai's graduation. It wasn't like with his graduation the silent man was going to evaporate into the thin air and never appear again. And they were not even in the same year, so they didn't see each other during the classes, only after them in the host club.

"He will graduate in a few weeks and..." she started to sob at this point, and Haruhi had to pat on her back gently to comfort her. "...and I won't see him."

"Of course you will," Haruhi reassured her. "In fact, I think you will see him more as he no longer will be in the host club and won't have to entertain other guests."

Renge-chan raised her head so swiftly that Haruhi for a moment thought it was going to pop up and fall down on the ground. Renge's eyes were burning with happy glints, and she grabbed Haruhi by the shoulders and then hugged her like her life depended on it.

"You are so right," she screamed, scaring Soga-san, who was trying to make a conversation with Momoka-chan already for the 4th time in the past 15 minutes.

"See and you were just worrying that you won't be able to spend time with him," Haruhi smiled, trying to calm the girl and apologetically looked at the class president who looked like he had lost the last shreds of confidence he had mastered to approach Momoka Kurakano.

She knew that it wasn't the last time she would hear Renge-chan's mournful sobbing of how there were still two years until her own graduation, and her Mori-senpai would graduate so soon, leaving her behind. But she only sighed and mentally prepared herself. As she was about to turn her attention to her textbook, that she was trying to read before Renge burst in tears, she felt someone's presence on her back.

"What are you doing here?" Renge stood up and glared at the person angrily.

Haruhi tilted her head to see who was the crazy fool to piss Renge and gasped shock, seeing Ayanakoji Seika standing there. The girl ignored Renge completely and looked straight at Haruhi. There were tears in her eyes that shocked Haruhi and made her feel a little confused and worried of how she was going to turn the situation against her, using those tears.

"I am sorry," Ayanakoji mumbled, causing Haruhi to gape like a fish. "I understand. Okay! Tell him stop. Just tell him to stop it all."

She twirled around and left in hasty steps, leaving behind shocked Haruhi and equally astounded Renge.

"What has happened to this bitch?" Renge snorted. "Does she think you are going to forgive her because she came up with an half-assed apology. What kind of nonsense was she mumbling?"

Haruhi cleaned her throat. She didn't know... or maybe she knew. _Tell him stop._ What did he do to her? She sighed. She told him she could handle herself. She rubbed her temples and stood up. What could have happened to her that she was crying? Surely, Kyoya-senpai didn't do something so terrible to her, did he? He wasn't that kind of person, right? She let out a frustrated growl. She needed to talk to him.

One of the twins walked passed by her dropping his pen. They rarely interacted, and Haruhi didn't really talk to them in the host club when she visited them with Renge-chan as a help. She didn't know them that well, but this one must have been Hikaru. He had quite the demeanor and attitude. The pen that fell out of his pocket was a pretty one, and it hit floor with a loud thud, but he seemed not to notice it, because he kept walking towards his desk.

"Hikaru-kun," she called after him. "You have dropped your pen."

He turned back, stared at her curiously and then at the dropped pen and shook his head. "I am not Hikaru, but thank you for letting me know about the pen."

"Um..." Haruhi stared at him and then smiled. "You are definitely Hikaru. But if you wish to be Kaoru I don't mind."

"You are wrong," Hikaru mumbled in a low voice, now very curious. "But why do you think I am Hikaru."

"You might look the same," she said with a smile, "but you two are very different."

The twin snorted, and as if amused by her explanation shifted closer. "You are something, Fujioka."

Haruhi rolled her eyes annoyed. So rude! Why were these kids so strange? She found it frustrating that after all this time in Ouran she didn't get used to the astounding madness everyone was sprouting. But before she could say anything, the auburn haired young man smiled at her widely and leaned his head down to look into her eyes.

"And you have pretty eyes. Pity didn't notice before."

"Hikaru, where did you put my textbook," the other twin called, searching his school bag frantically.

"Seems like I was right," Haruhi smirked playfully. "You are Hikaru, after all."

"Hey," Renge budged a little moody, and protectively pulled Haruhi towards herself, as if Hikaru was going to steal her any moment. "First, that idiot of Tamaki and now you! Back off, Haruhi's mine."

Seemed like Renge-chan had taken a certain degree of ownership over her, Haruhi thought amused, but let the redhead dragged her backwards. The class soon started, and Haruhi's thoughts scattered, as she started to think both of Kyoya-senpai and the way her body started to burn the other day. It was so overwhelming and painful, and she still could feel the strong pressure against her skull as the burning sensation had intensified, and she had felt like she was going to lose her brain to the fire set in his head. It was the worst pain she had ever experienced, and Haruhi's face wrinkled in distress, wondering if the pain would ever come back.

She also reminded herself how Kyoya-senpai's bite, instead of the usual sting, felt like an injection of coldness into her bloodstream that calmed her aching nerves and made her pained skull relaxed and sooth; it almost felt like a cone of ice-cream on a hot summer day. She felt such a strange relief when he perforated her neck. The deep way his fangs sat inside the muscles of her flesh and the way the blood left her body made her cool from inside, as if her blood was pile of embers, and Kyoya's bite was a scuttle of icy water.

After the incident, he avoided her and refused to drink, and that bothered Haruhi. She tried to convince him to drink her blood a few times, but he carefully and craftily distracted her and strayed her thoughts into a different direction. _The sly bastard!_ He would question her all the time about her health, as if she had consumed some poisonous plant and was going to die soon.

She didn't even notice when the classes were over. Renge-chan packed everything she had, bid her a goodbye and ran to meet with Mori-senpai. Apparently, he had invited her to drink tea together. Haruhi nodded and sighed relieved that the redhead wouldn't pester her anymore and decided it would be good to go home. She had a lot of things to study before the spring holidays and the final exams.

She left the classroom and headed towards the stairs. Ouran did have a very pretty architectural style. The stairs looked like they were from a fairy tale castle, not that Haruhi cared. She wondered why they didn't have elevators instead, but she didn't mind walking down the stairs, even though, it was time consuming. Then she spotted Kyoya-senpai, walking towards the exit.

"Senpai," she called after him, and reluctantly realized that she didn't know what to say.

He stopped and looked up. Seeing her face, Kyoya smiled gently and climbed the stairs up to her. Haruhi froze in place , worried and anxious because she didn't know how to act around Kyoya-senpai after what happened a few days ago. She scolded herself mentally and schooled her features into a neutral expression.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, walking up to her. "Any burning?"

"No," she smiled, shaking her head. "I am fine. It didn't happen again. I don't think it will happen again, honestly."

Kyoya didn't look convinced, but he didn't pry further. "If something happens, please tell me," he asked surprisingly in a pleading tone.

Haruhi sighed. "You don't need to worry about me, senpai," she said a little annoyed. "I am not made of glass. I can take care of myself. You woo me and try to protect me as if I am some damsel in distress and quite frankly it doesn't sit well with me."

The expression on his face became scandalous, and he looked genuinely baffled, making Haruhi sigh frustrated and explain herself. "I don't need your protection. I can do well on my own, and I don't want you to worry about me. This past week you have asked me several times if I am fine and even refused to feed. That part angers me the most, honestly."

"I am sorry," Kyoya apologized, but the way he said the words made him come out very disingenuous and insincere like he didn't really think he did anything wrong. "It wasn't my intention to coddle you or treat you in any manner that might feel like I am thinking any less of your abilities to protect yourself or tend for your needs. I was just very worried, considering what happened to you, and we both know that it was some side affect of our arrangement thus entirely my fault."

"Like you were worried about Ayanakoji-san?" Haruhi asked with a low sigh. "She was crying today. I don't want anyone to cry because of me. I don't want you to do anything because of me."

Kyoya wanted to roll his eyes. That bitch deserved what she got, and he didn't regret anything, truth to be spoken, he was actually disappointed that she got away with a pat on her wrist. She deserved an actual punishment for being such a spoiled, little brat. He had no patience or tolerance for insolence the girl displayed, especially after he asked her nicely to lay off and not to harm Haruhi. But Kyoya knew very well that it wouldn't work very well with Haruhi, so he took a deep breath and shook his head dismissively.

"I didn't do that for you," he told her firmly, causing Haruhi to widen her eyes in surprise.

"Then why did you do it and what did you do exactly?" she asked a little surprised.

"You must understand Haruhi that even wealth and status can't save one from disgrace and embarrassment. Especially those holding higher status in a society are under constant scrutiny of the said society. They are like live dolls, and everyone watches them. And if wealth can make someone's appearance more refined and respected, the same wealth can make their mistakes seem more significant and unforgivable."

Haruhi stared at him as if Kyoya was trying to convince her that the unicorns were real, and he was a part unicorn, part vampire.

"And if Ayanakoji-san doesn't realize that her actions can disgrace her family and doesn't care, I think her family does. I just did a favour and made sure they knew about her dishonorable actions. Call it a small courtesy to her father. I didn't want him to be ashamed of her and let him know what she was up to."

Kyoya didn't care. If she did something scandalous and dragged her family's name to mud, he wouldn't bat an eye. He found his family's tolerance of her bratty behavior to be the root in the first place, but distracting Haruhi was his prerogative now.

"Oh," Haruhi said, pink coloring her features. "I understand. It was nice of you to do that."

"Are you upset with me?' he asked, sensing her discomfort.

"Er... well, no," she mumbled. "I am just...okay, fine! I am upset with you. I thought we agreed that you will not starve yourself anymore, but you are refusing to eat."

She couldn't understand why it was bothering her so much.

"That was before what happened to you," he said as an explanation, but his heart flattered in his chest, delighted that Haruhi cared about him so deeply. "We should discuss this more seriously later."

"No," she said angrily. "You can't change the topic again, senpai. Why are you refusing?"

"Haru-chan? Coming to the Host Club?" a small blonde boy asked, snapping Haruhi's attention, and she turned to face Honey-senpai, Renge-chan's lovely boyfriend-to-be's cousin, who despite being older and graduating in a few days looked like a little child.

He stared at her and Kyoya-senpai innocently, but curiousty burnt his eyes, and even Haruhi noticed how the cute blonde eyed them.

"No, Honey-senpai," she attempted to smile. "I have to go home and besides Renge-chan won't be in the club today, so I don't have to come to help her with anything."

"Maybe next time you can bring Kyoya-san," he smiled sweetly at the pair of them and then winked.

Kyoya cleaned his throat, disturbed the way he had been deconstructed and dismantled in the young looking man's eyes, but didn't say anything, other than a small smile and polite nod. She looked at him with that warm, pretty gaze, and she smelled like lavenders on a rainy day. Kyoya knew he didn't have any right to get close to her, just for her sake. If his father found out, if his illness had somehow also affected her, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. She was the only person that oozed light in the utter darkness and cold he had lived in for so many years.

It was truly childish and infantile to desire someone this strongly and desire them so much to give them up for their own sake. Kyoya knew he wanted to be selfish. He still couldn't understand what he felt, but whatever it was, it was strong and driving, and it compelled him to tell her no.

.

"How do I look? Will I blend in with crowd without notice?" Saori Ootori asked the maid, twirling around in her faux commoner outfit.

The maid made a face that said she didn't look like she had to work all week to make the ends, but instead of voicing her opinion, she nodded and smiled at the woman.

"I will put sunglasses," Ootori-sama's wife announced, finding her designer sunglasses in the drawer. "Remember nobody can recognize me. And my husband shouldn't find out about anything, or he might lock me up in my room for a month for endangering myself or some other vain excuse."

"Should I call the driver, Saori-sama?" the maid asked, skeptical that whatever was in her mistress mind was going to work.

"No!" the woman shook her head. "Just get a taxi here. If you call the driver, he will definitely tell Yoshio-sama about everything, and I can't risk."

"Alright, Saori-sama," the woman mumbled and bowing left the room.

Saori stared at herself in the mirror. Her make up was so heavy that nobody would ever think it was her, and the dress and shoes she wore were very flashy, and there was no way anyone would fathom that Ootori Saori could put something like that on. It was a good cover to go to a commoner area and sneak a peek on the girl without raising suspicion. What an humiliation it would be if her husband caught her like this. But nothing else came to her mind, and she was desperate.

"The taxi will be here in a few minutes, Ootori-sama," Miwa-san told her. "I can escort you to it through the back door quietly.

Saori gulped, took a deep breath and nodded. She was ready.

But when the taxi took her to the particular neighborhood where the girl lived and dropped her near the market, Saori felt like a lost kitten. She fixed her french-wrapped scarf on her head, hoping to look as invisible as possible, and then she realized that it wasn't really a common accessory commoners used around the market. The place looked lively, full of people, buying things and looking at different items. There was some sort of color and happiness to the way people buzzed around, and she stared in fascination.

"There she is," Miwa-san pointed at a girl who was walking up the street.

She was a small-framed girl with messily gathered short ponytail and had a large knitted jacket on her shoulders, her jean pants were a little lose on her, and she had bags of produce in her hands and was carrying them with such ease that startled Saori. This was the girl giving ribbons and cards to her son? She hoped to see something a little more refined. Kyoya had sure had a taste. Maybe she had fancied a friendship for her son so much that she was just ready to believe this to be true. She didn't look anything like Kyoya would like.

Spectacularly unimpressed, she wrinkled her nose and sighed, thinking she miscalculated and misunderstood everything. Maybe it was just a thank you note like Miwa-san said. There was no way Kyoya would have taken a shine to a girl looking like an unkept mess. He was raised as a sophisticated aristocrat, and the girl was anything but sophisticated. She was the most common commoner Saori would imagine.

"Should I approach her, Saori-sama," the maid questioned, seeing her indecision.

"Um...no, Miwa-san," she said, cleaning her throat. "If you have any business around here you can tend them. I will call you when I need you."

The maid politely nodded and left. Saori straightened her posture. How stupid of her to even think that she could foresee something before her husband. If there was any sort of relationship going on, her husband would have known. She just foolishly hoped, but there was no way anything between this girl and her son was going on.

"Haruhi," a woman called after the girl, prompting her to stop.

Saori stared at the woman intently. She was tall and pretty, had very nice pair of legs and definitely rocked those high-line shoes. The pretty suit on her was elegant, and her long curls cascaded on her shoulders.

"Wait for me," she called after the girl, in surprisingly deep, low voice.

This must have been her mother, Saori reasoned. She was a pretty woman, maybe the girl would have looked better as well, if she had nicer clothes. Her attention went back to their exchange.

"Let me carry them, my cute little treasure," the woman wined in a strange tone.

"I will take them home on my own," the girl insisted, pulling away the bags moodily, as if being called cute little treasure irritated her.

"Haruhi," the woman whined again.

"Just buy a few more strawberries," the girl said. "They are on sale."

The woman smiled at the young girl fondly and nodded. Saori smiled too. Fuyumi loved strawberries too, and she was like that too, independent wanting to do thing on her own, although her husband found a way to quickly kill off that rebellion. The smile on Saori's face faded away. When the girl walked away, the woman headed towards the strawberries and stood right next to Saori, giving the Ootori matriarch an opportunity to carefully observe her. Before she could fully scrutinize her, the woman stared at her and smiled.

"Nice shoes," she winked. "Where did you get them from? They look expensive."

"Oh," Saori gasped being spoken to so suddenly. "My husband had bought them for me."

She lied. Yoshio would rather spend time in hell than put his nose in her wardrobe. He cared very little as long as she looked proper and decent. And he knew very little about shoes.

"He has a good taste," the woman smiled. "Are you buying strawberries too? My daughter likes them so much."

"Ah," Saori stammered. "No, waiting for a friend, actually. So that girl was your daughter?"

The woman's eyes lit up cheerfully and she nodded. "Yes, she is so adorable. But doesn't listen to me at all when it comes to her clothes and appearance."

She took out her wallet and showed a photo of a very pretty girl, with long brown hair. "See, so cute," she squealed at the photo like it was a small child or a puppy.

"What has happened to her hair?" Saori gasped involuntarily.

"Some moron put a gum in her hair, and she had cut them," the woman made a weeping sound. "It was shorter before. It had grown. I can't wait until my baby has her hair as long as it was before."

She did look pretty before, Saori thought. The woman spoke really funnily, mixing up pronouns all the time going from male to female and so on.

"Seems like your friend isn't showing up," the woman said. "It's cold here. You can wait in the tea-shop on the corner."

Saori nodded awkwardly. "You are probably, right," she feigned a smile.

* * *

 **A/N-I hope you will like this chapter. Tell me if you like where the story is going.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I hope this chapter will be as fun to read as I hoped it was when I planned it.**

* * *

Haruhi stared at her father through the open door of the bathroom. Ranka was observing himself in the mirror, applying concealer under his eyes. Working night shifts and having poor sleeping schedules always reflected badly on his face. These damn circles! He rubbed the powder over the lines under his eyes. Haruhi's lips curled upwards, seeing her father frustrated with his make-up.

"Are you going to meet again that new friend of yours?" she asked, walking into the bathroom to take some headache pills from the medicine cabinet. "Saori-san."

Ranka wheeled around and gave his daughter a cheerful smile. "You are awake," he acknowledged softly. "Did I wake you up? You don't look like you have got a lot of sleep."

Haruhi grabbed the pills from the medicine cabinet cautiously, not wanting her father to know that she wasn't feeling well. "I am fine," she mumbled. "After the exams and a lot of schoolwork, it's unusual to be home."

She shifted out and walked to the kitchen, leaving Ranka in the bathroom. "So," she called loudly, "Seeing Saori-san―the friend you have met in the market?"

"No, not really," her father's voice came closer, as he strode into the kitchen with his mini-suitcase. "Her husband is a bit of an old bat from what she had told me, and she doesn't get to go out much. Can you believe that? However, we have plans to meet next week or so to go for shopping in this antique shop. She is such a lovely woman. Pity, you didn't meet her."

"Then, where are you going?"

He smiled and folded a piece of strange glittery blouse. Haruhi stared at the clothing article with flat a expression and sipped from her glass, waiting for her father to finally explain where he was heading with a suitcase full of glittery blouses and frilly dresses.

"I am going to Karuizawa to help Misuza. His pension got hired to host a big party for some fancy people, and he needs help."

"His pension doesn't seem like the kind of place people would want to have big parties in," Haruhi expressed her surprise, pursing her lips.

"Well, you can guess that some rich people don't want their little adventures to happen in a well-known place, so Isao's pension is the right spot. He needed a bartender, so he called me," Ranka said, squeezing the folded item into the suitcase. "I will make a bit of money for the week. You will alright without me, right? Recently you don't look so well, you eat very little. I can tell something is wrong."

Haruhi sighed softly. She didn't realize that she wasn't eating well. Since the school year ended and the spring holidays started everything had been kind of fuzzy for her, and she still couldn't understand why. She jumped up startled when her father cupped her face all of a sudden.

"Daddy will miss his little cute girl," he started to whine unapologetically, making Haruhi's ears almost bleed. "How are you going to stay alone without me? Daddy is sad that Haruhi will be alone."

"Dad," she pushed him away. "I will be fine. It's not the first time. I can take care of myself. You will be late from your train if you stay longer."

Ranka let go off her reluctantly and then hugged and twirled her around one more time before leaving the house.

Haruhi sat down in the kitchen and rubbed her temples. She felt tired. Very tired. Her body felt sore, and she felt like she hadn't been sleeping for nights. There was a cheerful song on the TV, and Haruhi begrudgingly turned it off. Those happy, squeaky voices were making her headache worse. She hadn't seen Kyoya-senpai since the spring break had started. After the incident, he avoided her. Although, they would still meet during the breaks and talk to each other, he refused to have any of her blood. She was very worried about his well-being and couldn't understand why he was being so stubborn.

It was true that someone had caught them, and she was almost expelled because of it, and yes, it was also true that for whatever reason the blood drinking had caused the strange burning, but it was her choice. She knew what she had agreed to, and it wasn't like he had forced her. She couldn't tell why she felt so angry and so upset. All of these strange tedious feelings were driving her mad. Why did his complete disregard and refusal to take a notice of her make her so angry? There was a peculiar, nearly unhealthy kind of yearning in her heart to meet him and demand explanations for his behavior.

She had kept his book in the hope of seeing him again after the holidays. The days following the incident made Kyoya more distant and detached. And he looked progressively ill over the days until the exams were over and the year ended. She would try to talk to him, but he just closed the conversation so masterfully that she didn't even realize how it came that they were talking about something different rather than what she asked.

Haruhi sighed and stood up. She was very tired. And her father was right; she didn't really eat well in the recent days. Every time she would put a piece of food in her mouth, she would feel guilty. In times like this, she felt more appreciative of being the way she was, being able to feel the sunlight and the cold, and eat her favourite food, and even when it wasn't the best in the world she still could do it. She sighed again, as if the oxygen somehow was blocking her airways rather than helping her to relax and breath, and grabbed the pan. Maybe a little breakfast would clear her head and make her feel less exhausted.

She took out the vegetables and eggs out of the fridge and put the pan on the fire. Her movements were slow, sluggish, and she was constantly blinking as if to clear her muddy vision. Things seemed a little blurry that morning, unsettling and disoriented. She shook her head with a low groan, as the twitchy throbbing in her head came to hound her with more relentless and tenacious passion. These damn headaches were becoming out of control.

Since the school break and the start of spring holidays, she didn't speak to Kyoya-senpai. He answered some of her texts with laconic messages, telling her he was fine and asking about her well-being, but mostly all her messages and calls went unanswered, and she didn't want to pester him. She was worried that he would starve himself, like he did apparently before. It made Haruhi's sense of pride and goodness feel ill. She wanted to be a lawyer like her mother, because her memories of the woman was when she went to help people. Her mother was brave and kind, and she protected people and saw justice for them.

She sighed again this time more loudly, and put the scrambled eggs in the pan along with minced sausage. It smelled good when the heated butter started to fry them. Why was she even thinking about him? She needed to get a life. This was getting ridiculous.

She flipped the fried eggs in the pan and poured herself some tea. The painkiller didn't stop her headache, and she felt worse actually. She sipped from the cup, and the hot steamy water made her throat more uncomfortable by warming it up. It wasn't very warm at the end of March, but Haruhi felt burning hot like she was working inside a blacksmith's workshop. She inhaled sharply, and instead of finishing her tea, drunk a cup of cold water, but it did very little to relieve the burning in her limbs and chest.

It started to spread just like that day a few weeks ago. It spread through her veins, boiling her blood. She almost fell down when she stood up to turn off the stove. There was no one at home, and if she fainted, she wouldn't be found unless she regained her consciousness herself. She needed to make the burning stop. Haruhi gripped the sides of the wall and walked to the bathroom. Splash of cold water on her face didn't help either. It was starting to make her head heavy, and she fell on the bathroom floor.

She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, she couldn't keep her eyes open. Blurry spots clouded her vision, and she started to writhe on the tiled ground in the bathroom. She felt like her blood was boiling, like there was insane amount of blood in her body, and she would explode any second. The blood-rush started again, and there was no one around her this time.

"Too much blood," she grunted. "Too much."

The cellphone in her pocket felt heavy when she tried to call Kyoya-senpai. She breathed hard, trying to concentrate.

She turned on the water in the tub and climbed in, hoping the glacial water would cool her scorching body. The water made her skin shiver, but her insides felt as hot as if she was being cooked alive. She couldn't even press on the buttons of the phone to make a call. It took so much concentration and energy. No, she couldn't disturb him. It would appear desperate, and she was not a desperate person. Why was she even caring what he would think? It didn't even matter.

She just needed to let a bit of blood out and calm down. All she needed to do; just a small poke with a needle and a few drops of blood, and she would be fine. She dropped her cellphone on the floor and climbed out of the bathtub. Now she looked like a complete wreck, like those scary water monsters from horror movies. She grabbed the knitting toolbox and took out a small needle. Just a small prickle on the finger―a few blood droplets. It wasn't like she was a fairy tale princess and was going to fall asleep for a few centuries. Not that spending time in the Host Club didn't make her a little suspicious of these strange things.

She took a deep breath and poked her finger with a needle. The blood dripped slowly, but it didn't feel like she felt any better. It didn't feel like the way she felt when he had drunken her blood. It was surely better than the cold water, but her situation didn't improve at all. She tried again. This was madness. If she continued she would just bleed to death. She grabbed her phone with her wet fingers. She dialed his number.

Her heart started to pound faster, as the call signal stretched and no one picked the phone. But then suddenly a male voice spoke cheerfully. "Yes," she was taken back, because it wasn't senpai's voice, although he could hear his in the background, saying something about someone being an idiot.

"I..." she breathed hard, trying to speak without making her throat feel even more sore than it already was, "I am..."

"Haruhi," it was his voice, concerned, tender and soft.

.

"I knew I would find you locked up in the library again," Akito said with a cheeky smile on his face and walked up to him.

Kyoya looked up at him and shrugged dismissively, returning his attention to the book he was reading. It was already hard to read without Akito's presence, but now he certainly wouldn't be able to read anything. His eyes scanned the sentence again, and he realized he had been reading that for the past five minutes. He was uncharacteristically absentminded. Akito's persistent stare finally drove him off, and he slapped the book shut.

"Is there something you need, Akito-san?" he asked irritated.

"Well," Akito sat down, "Not really. But you definitely need some help. You look terrible. What is going on with you?"

"I am alright," Kyoya said curtly. "Just tired, and you know it's getting warmer, sunnier."

"You don't look alright," Akito said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "For the past few weeks, you have become very quiet, and you kind of look ill, like you are not yourself, or should I say, you have reverted back to your old self. You look unhealthy, you know?"

Kyoya glared at him this time. "Unhealthy?" he scoffed. "I am unhealthy, remember? For God's sake, leave me alone, I want to read."

"Is it something to do with you not seeing your little friend?" Akito grinned like he was guessing some world-important secret. "Did she find out?"

Kyoya didn't even look at Akito. Mention of Haruhi made his heart beat faster like it was running a marathon. He missed her like a little child, but he knew he had no right to be around her and jeopardize her education, her well-being, especially after what happened. She was fine. She messaged him, and he was glad to know that she was healthy and well. Since the holidays started, he didn't leave the house and mostly spent his time in his room or in the library, reading. The sunlight was starting to bother him, and he had to wear sun-protective creams, although they had little help against the ultraviolet rays that made him feel like he was being roasted alive.

"So it is her," Akito smiled, interrupting the silence again. "But it doesn't seem she had found out your secret. Wait? Are you avoiding her and sulking over it?"

"It doesn't concern you, with all respect, Akito-san please stay out of my business," Kyoya told him harshly, getting frustrated that his brother just wouldn't leave him be.

Akito snorted and then got up, but before he could leave, Kyoya's cell-phone rang. He quickly snatched it away and grinned like a maniac when he saw the caller ID.

"Seems like you sweet little friend has missed you, no?" Akito turned the phone on, "Yes!"

"You are total idiot, Akito-san," Kyoya complained. "Give me back my phone."

Akito looked a little surprised when his younger brother just grabbed the phone out of his hands and rolled his eyes like an annoyed parent.

"Haruhi," he spoke, shooting glares at Akito.

"Senpai," she responded in a muffled voice after a moment of shuffling and silence.

"Are you alright?" his voice went lower and became concerned.

"I am burning," she said and Kyoya's heart skipped an agonizing beat. "I..."

"Haruhi?" her voice went away, and he couldn't make out what she was exactly saying. "Are you there? can you hear me?"

There was no sound and no shuffling any more. If it was possible, he had paled a few shades more. He hadn't had any blood for a few days, and the thirst was slowly making him disoriented. He turned off the phone and ran out of the library, leaving behind puzzled Akito.

 _What has happened to her?_

"Tachibana-san," he called his bodyguard. "I need to leave now. It's an emergency."

The car was ready by the time he walked out of the family house. Tachibana stared at him surprised, but didn't question his sudden decision to leave the house. He knew it was strange that he had stuck his head in books for so many days, but he didn't feel like going out at all. Especially after he had admitted to himself what he had felt for her.

He asked Aijima and Tachibana to wait for him outside her house and headed to her apartment. He knocked on the door, but there was no response, the door wasn't locked. He opened it and walked in.

"Haruhi? Where are you?"

There was no sound. Maybe she wasn't home. He was so worried he had lost all of his rationality and just rushed to come to her house without thinking that she might have been in a different place. But suddenly his senses tensed up when the smell of her sweet blood reached his nose.

"Haruhi?" he stared at the bloody floor in the bathroom horrified.

She was lying there unconscious and there was a small pool of blood around her. He rushed towards her and immediately checked her vitals. She was alive. What had happened to her? The spilled blood was very little. She must have lost her consciousness because of something else. But the cut on her hand didn't stop from bleeding. He needed to take her to the hospital. His heart was beating crazily. He took out his cellphone. He didn't care any longer if anyone knew about anything at all.

.

"Nakamura-sensei?" Kyoya rushed towards the woman who walked out of the room where Haruhi was taken to. "How is she?"

The woman had a scowl on her face, and Kyoya thought she was actually glaring at him.

"Why would she do that kind of thing?" the woman demanded scornfully, looking at Kyoya with her cheery eyes that looked a little dull that morning.

He stared at her confused as to what she was referring to and then only to realize that whatever had happened from her perspective to Haruhi must have looked like a suicide.

"She... Is she alright, Nakamura-sensei?" he asked ignoring her question.

"Did you break up with her?" she demanded, and Kyoya had to do everything to keep a composed expression on his face.

This woman needed to know better than to speak like that to him.

"I am sorry, Nakamura-sensei," he said politely. "I am very worried about Haruhi, and I would like to know what has happened to her. And I don't think she has attempted to end her life. It was an accident. Fortunately, she had called me before losing her consciousness, and I rushed to take her here."

The woman's expression softened all of a sudden, and she sighed. "I knew that you are not that kind of young man," she said in a tone as if she wasn't the one a minute ago accusing him of causing Haruhi's current state, even though he felt completely responsible for what had happened to her.

Kyoya nodded, hiding his impatience and looked at the woman in white coat expectantly. "We have stabilized her, but I wouldn't say that she is fine," the woman informed him. "You see she didn't actually lose any blood at all, but her wounds don't clot and despite that it doesn't seem she needs blood transfusion. It's absolutely unusual, and I just sent her samples to the lab for further study. It's as if her body is producing more blood than she needs. She had a high blood pressure when she was brought here. I was very worried first. You know thinking it might be a new variation of..." she cleaned her throat, Kyoya nodded in understanding. "But she is healthy. Something in her system is preventing her wounds from clotting. After the lab testings, I will be able to tell what is happening to her. Unfortunately, this is not really my field of study. My father... that old man... if he didn't go completely nuts..."

When she started grumbling quietly, Kyoya interrupted her. "Can I see her, Nakamura-san?"

The woman looked at her and shook her head and then sighed. "Fine, I can't break your heart," she said dramatically. "But be quick. We will need to do something about stopping her blood."

Kyoya nodded. He walked into the room. She was lying there in the bed, her wounds red in bandages, like the doctor said they wouldn't stop bleeding even though the cut was tiny. He knew it was his fault. He quietly walked up to her and tried not to breathe the air filled with the smell of her blood.

"Haruhi?" he called her softly.

"Kyoya-senpai?" she responded slowly, looking at him through her half-opened eyes. She looked very sleepy.

"You have regained your consciousness," he smiled. "How are you feeling? Is it burning?"

She gulped and nodded. "You know what you need to do," she said.

So that was it, huh? He had infected her with something strange, something that made her go into phases of producing more blood than she needed. How was that even possible? Was it something in his fangs? Some kind of poison? Or was it just her body's natural response? Why wouldn't her bleeding stop? He wasn't an idiot. He knew that he had bitten her several times, and she had no problems healing, in fact, the healing started to progressively happen faster. So maybe, something about his saliva, or something in his own body that made her so vulnerable. His hands started to shake, and it took him all his willpower to steady himself, not to fall on the ground.

"Senpai?" she questioned.

"Ah," he inhaled. "Yes, a minute."

He locked the door and walked back to her. Hopefully nobody would need to come in soon enough, otherwise he would need to explain why he locked the door. She nodded again. He undid her blood-soaked bandages and bit down on her arm. Her body convulsed and then it relaxed. The blood poured into his mouth, and he felt euphoric like he had been depraved of living for the past few weeks. It was so sweet. He couldn't stop himself from enjoying the creamy, smooth texture of her blood flowing through his throat into his head and filling his brain with endorphins. Her eyes lit up, and the dullness vanished, as if it has never been there.

"I am sorry, Haruhi," he said. "I am sorry that you have to endure this."

"It's not your fault. You are not guilty to be the way you are" she said firmly. "Sometimes we just can't help but be certain way. Just because not everyone is like us, doesn't mean something is wrong with us, and we have to apologize for it."

"Don't you understand?" he said. "I have done to this to you."

He waved his hands. "You are a smart woman, you must know what is happening to you. I think that's why you called me instead of calling ambulance. You know that whatever this is, it is the result of my actions."

"You didn't know," she sighed. "Now, you would have a case against yourself if you knew that something like this would have happened to me and manipulated me into it. Did you?"

"Who is to say that I didn't?" he asked sharply.

"You are not that kind of person," she said almost offended.

"I can't believe you are defending me."

She tried to sit up, now that she was feeling better, and her wounds stopped bleeding. Although her body was still sore, and Kyoya rushed to help her. She cleaned her throat and looked at him thoughtfully. "I am defending myself."

"How is this defending yourself?" he asked.

"I just like to believe that I would know better than be fooled by someone else's manipulations. I have always prided myself as a rational person, and I don't think I have made a poor judgement about your character. That would make me a completely useless future lawyer. Don't you agree?"

He laughed sadly. "You are one fascinating woman, Haruhi Fujioka, and it is almost insane how hard you are trying to win this case."

"Did I win it?" she asked.

"You always did," he said sadly as if he had lost some important battle he was fighting.

"Then," she said holding up her hand. "Let's be friends again?"

He smiled and held her hand. _How innocent!_

"Would you ever think of me as someone more than a friend?" he asked involuntarily.

"You want to be my..." she looked at him strangely and didn't finish her sentence.

 _More than a friend? What was it? What was more than a friend?_

The door was knocked. Kyoya went to open it, and the lovely doctor walked in. Haruhi remembered her. She was the one who had treated her at Ouran after the accident.

"You are awake," she exclaimed, seeing Haruhi all well and seated.

Haruhi and Kyoya looked at his each for a moment. "I think I need to do another check up," Nakamura-san announced.

Kyoya nodded and politely bowing, left the room.

.

"I apologize, Yoshio-sama," Harada Goro respectfully bowed and stood in front of Yoshio's desk, "I didn't report because it was very difficult to find the girl young master was dating."

"Well, you were supposed to find out about her?" Yoshio said bluntly, annoyed that chief of his security had taken centuries to find out about some schoolgirl. He could have used her as a leverage long time ago.

"I have went with the wrong route searching her among the young women at Ouran excluding the scholarship honour student," he said slowly. "But I have finally spotted her with him, and it took me a long time to find her identity. Her name is Fujioka Haruhi."

Yoshio raised his head. Scholarship student? His son was playing love games with some lowly commoner. The pen in his hand broke from the pressure he had applied. He closed his eyes. How could that boy act like that? He thought he taught him better than that. It was a rebellion. No, he wasn't that stupid, was he?

Yoshio rubbed his nose and stared at the chief of his security. "What else did you find out about this girl?"

Harada Goro bowed and getting permission to continue spoke in his loud monotone voice. "Her mother has passed away when she was five. Her name was Fujioka Kotoko and she was a lawyer. Currently, she lives with her father; Fujioka Ryoji. He is...um... uhm―"

The man shifted clearly uncomfortably, cleaning his throat, as if to find a more proper way to say what he was about to say. Yoshio raised his eyebrows.

"He is working in a gay bar," he said with one breath, looking at his boss cautiously, as if he had just insulted his intelligence. "He is a cross-dresser and works as an entertainer."

Yoshio nodded silently. "Find more detailed information, Harada-san," he said blankly, returning his attention to the stack of documents.

Harada bowed and turned to leave. "And, Harada-san, please contact Kyoya and tell him to see me immediately."

The man nodded. "Yes, sir!"

 _That insolent boy!_ Yoshio's face wrinkled in anger and disgust. A commoner girl from a questionable family and with his condition! He would make sure to end this before anything went to papers. He had ignored the boy's stubborn behavior and allowed him too much freedom, and now he was getting involved with lowly girls. How could his son be so naive and foolish?

Not only was the girl a no-name commoner, but also the most ridicolous kind of commoner. Now the press would love to know that the youngest Ootori was dating a girl whose father was working in an okama bar. Wasn't that just splendid. Did the boy decided to disgrace the family honour?

Yoshio shook his head irritated.

There was a knock on the door, grabbing the old man's attention. He stared surprised at his youngest son who had opened the door and walked in.

He didn't expect to see him so soon, unless he was already in the hospital, which was also strange. In recent days he didn't look so well for some reason, descending back to his previous state, but today he had gained some of that liveliness he had had for some time.

"Father," he greeted politely with the most graceful bow and stood in perfectly straight posture, waiting to be invited.

"I wanted to see you," he said, gesturing him to sit. "But didn't expect you would be so quick to come."

"I was in the hospital when Harada-san called. Did something happen? He didn't specify but indicated that it was very important."

 _Why was he in the hospital?_ Yoshio looked carefully, searching through his features for any clues, but his countenance was impassive.

"Yes," Yoshio said, taking out his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. "It is important, as I need to remind my son what it means to be an Ootori."

Kyoya's blinked. His face slightly darkened, but he kept his composure with perfect indifference.

"It appears you have forgotten your place and your obligations," he said with a harsher tone, causing Kyoya to raise his chin slightly higher. "You thought I wouldn't find out about the little girl you are parading around the school."

He chuckled and shook his head. Kyoya's face remained fixed on his father's face, all the emotions held back.

 _How much did he know?_

"Parading around the school?" he said, mastering genuine surprise. "I am afraid I don't understand what you are speaking about, Father."

"Don't feign ignorance," he commanded. "I already know about this Fujioka girl, and I am very displeased. I hope you didn't think I would allow you to pull the family name into the mud and play games with a lowly commoner."

He clenched his fists.

"She is a friend," he said firmly with the most scornful tone he could get away with. "I don't think the information you were provided weren't someone crazy hallucinations."

"A friend, huh?" Yoshio scoffed. "You are making friends now. In all these years you had no friend and suddenly a commoner student in your school becomes your friend."

"Yes," he insisted. "She is a friend."

"You see I have been very patient with you, letting you decide to take a treatment, letting you attend a normal school, considering your condition and how even the slightest mistake can hurt family reputation, but you don't seem to appreciate it. I have thought you were more sensible than to make friends. And if she finds out about your condition, you know what will happen, right?"

Yoshio stood up. "Don't think that you put yourself in danger by affiliating with that girl," he said. "No, you put her in danger. If she were to found out, you know about you drinking blood, she would probably end up locked in a mental hospital."

His father smiled. "You didn't think I would let anything or anyone harm family honor. So know, that you have put that silly little girl in danger."

"She has nothing to do with anything," Kyoya said with slight impatience.

"Probably," Yoshio paced in the room. "But if she found out, I am sure she would have caused a lot of problems. Human beings, you see, are not very tolerant creatures towards things that are different. Your little friend is no different, and if she learnt your secret, not only she would be horrified, but probably would be too glad to make herself famous and would take this juicy news to the press. Those vulgar commoners can't wait to publish something outrageous anyways."

If only his father knew what kind of person Haruhi was, maybe, he wouldn't be so certain in his theory of how she would act. He was probably right about most people, but she wasn't most people.

"I am sorry, Father," Kyoya said, standing up too. "I don't understand what you mean."

"You don't, huh?" he said with sigh. "Stop this insolence! Get the treatment and know your place. As for the girl, I will take care that she won't attend Ouran anymore. It seems she is distracting you."

Kyoya inhaled calmly and turned to face his father. "Don't mix her into this. She has nothing to do with you. She is my friend and with all respect Father, I don't appreciate you threatening her well-being. You can try to get her expelled, go ahead and do it, but know, I will not sit aside and do nothing. If you do anything at all to Haruhi, it's not her, going to the press, you should worry about. I will make sure the whole world knows that your so perfect family is not so perfect after all. Want to try, I will just walk out and bite someone in the street. I don't have much to lose, do I? You already want to use me as a lab rat."

He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Yoshio shocked. The old man, rubbed his chest, trying to calm himself. Two conflicting thoughts rose in his head. One of an Ootori and the other of a father. As an Ootori, he couldn't say he wasn't proud and impressed with his youngest son's resolve and sense of pride and of course, the neat way he has blackmailed him. As a father, he was pissed that the boy disobeyed him and even dared to threaten. He smirked amused. So, he did show that she was more than a friend, didn't he?

* * *

 **A/N-Well, it turned to be completely crazy. I felt like at times it was a little bit too ridiculous, but hope you like it regardless. I hope you don't mind that Ranka's and Saori's friendship was implicit. There still will be parts with the two of them. I am curious to know what you think of Haruhi's and Kyoya's relationship here and also what do you think of Yoshio?**


	21. Chapter 21

**The delay wasn't that long, right? I was a little busy, painting the walls at home, then writing some other things.**

* * *

"You don't have to come with me," Haruhi told him gently. "I have just promised Renge-chan, and I don't want to break my promise. Otherwise, I don't want to go myself."

"What if something happens," Kyoya insisted, giving his voice a tone of practical indifference. His reasons for wanting to go with her to that stupid, irrelevant trip―Suoh Tamaki had thrown―was completely different. He just didn't want to be away from her but was too proud to admit. "You know it has been a month since the blood-rush, and I am not about to risk your well being."

"But it's going to be very hot in Okinawa," she protested. "Very sunny, and you will get sick. You are already frowning like an old man, as the days become sunnier."

"I can manage myself," he said annoyed. "Suoh had insisted as well, that I join his little party. The elder Morinozuka and Honeynozuka cousins had graduated, and this would be an excellent chance to meet them, frankly."

He had no interest in meeting them, and Suoh infuriated him beyond belief with his tacky and annoying antics, but having Haruhi leave with the group of people for a week without him made him feel childishly envious. He could rationalize that he was acting immature, and Haruhi wasn't his toy to keep her around, but where Haruhi was concerned his rationality flew out of the window.

"If you are fine, I won't force you to stay behind," Haruhi smiled. "I am just worried it will affect your health."

He snorted like her statement was some sort of terrible insult. "Fine," she knitted her brows. "Pack your suitcase, senpai. And don't forget to bring your sunscreen to protect yourself against the ultraviolet radiation."

"You know that it's actually bad for any other human being as well. I am just more sensitive that's all," he said grumpily, as if admitting that sunlight made him feel hurt was making him somehow very inferior.

"Hmm, you are right," she said. "I will need to pack some of those lotions for me as well."

Since she had been discharged from the hospital and the school has started, Kyoya-senpai grew really close to her more than before, which both pleased and confused Haruhi. She didn't know what to make of his attentive behavior, as the young man started to text her frequently, wanting to make sure she was healthy and well. He also stopped resisting to drink her blood, which made things so much easier for her.

The second year in Ouran high school seemed far easier and more interesting, and Haruhi reasoned it was because she was more familiar with the school's inner workings and finally got used to being a high school student. It was Kyoya-senpai's last year, and he was already planning his university admission. She admired him, but telling him so would pump up his ego, and she wasn't about to do that.

"Your hair had grown longer," Kyoya said absentmindedly, and when he realized he had voiced his observation loudly, it was too late.

"Should I cut it short?" she asked with little bit of curiosity.

"Longer hair suits you," he cleared his throat. "You look cute like this."

She blushed and looked away. Maybe, he was supposed to push his luck. She was dense anyways. He could always find some excuse and claim she misunderstood him in case she didn't find his affections desirable, and if she did, he wouldn't mind to have her full attention.

"Does it matter?" she grumbled like an annoyed kitten. "It's such a nuisance, gets in my eyes all the time, and I have to spend extra hours in the shower."

He didn't want to think of her in the shower quite honestly, he hardly managed himself without the additional thoughts of imagining her sprinkled with water and no clothes. His face reddened, and he had to cough and look away―not to betray his inner thoughts.

He always thought he had a better self control over himself. But she shuttered it, like she shuttered all the walls he had erected to protect himself from the outside world. He pretended to be strong and disinterested in friendships, irrelevant and frivolous connections, but it all was a self-defense, because he knew he couldn't have any of it with his condition. And then she came, and her smell and warmth melted everything he had done to keep his heart strong and frozen against the outside world.

Did he do something very nice to deserve the friendship of such a sweet, innocent person?

"You are fascinating, Haruhi," he smiled genuinely, and she looked at him with wide eyes and then snorted.

"You always say that," she complained.

"I guess I do," he confessed with a sigh.

The trees around them had already fully blossomed, and the May air smelled sweet and fresh. He loved to sit with her in this secluded place in the Ouran garden, as if nobody else existed, listen to her speak about the recent book she had read, or about her plans to become a lawyer. Her interests were pretty wide, and he never found himself even once bored. He could listen to her for hours and just be mesmerized. He liked Haruhi outside of the strange chemical attraction and desire he felt for her. He liked her as a sweet and intelligent person and was naturally drawn to her.

It wasn't just the next guy's announcement how their loved one was so different from the rest of the world. No, Kyoya was a perfectly rational person. He knew that there was a possibility of girls prettier than Haruhi. He knew that there were more intelligent ones as well and certainly kinder ones too. But he knew that whatever combination of those traits Haruhi had was unique to her. She was fascinating in that way. An intelligent young woman who was sweet and kind, but also had strong spirit and compassion, and it didn't make her appear dumb or a pushover.

"Senpai," she touched his shoulder. "I will be waiting for you in the morning. I need to go now to let my father know about the trip."

"Of course, Haruhi," he nodded. "I will call you in the morning. You don't have to go with the host club. Tachibana-san will take us there. I will get the details from Suoh-san."

"Thank you, Kyoya-senpai," she said before leaving.

Kyoya smiled, looking at her leaving figure. He wanted her.

His father didn't say anything after the hospital conversation, but Kyoya knew Yoshio Ootori wasn't a man to let that slide. He had no idea what his father was planning, but he certainly wasn't going to sit aside and let the old man hurt Haruhi. It was matter of time before his father would take any action, and Kyoya was patiently waiting. He was looking forward, making sure his father knew, that his obedient son had a reason to be rebellious now.

Things had calmed down, and even Akito seemed to be busy with work at Ootori group and with his girlfriend. His elder brother, as always, spend most of his time in the Ootori research center, working on an experimental drug, although, Kyoya noticed his silent displeasure with Father for not pushing Kyoya towards medication trials. His mother, on the other hand, seemed to spent a great deal of time with this new friend of hers and had become more cheerful and happy, and Kyoya found the relative tranquility soothing, but not a reason to lower his guard.

.

She looked so beautiful in her flower-printed blue dress that reached her knees. Kyoya had to keep his gasp in his mouth. Her chocolate hair was gathered into a ponytail and showed her slender neck. He bit his lip, seeing her like this; pretty and relaxed. He was initially grumpy that the blonde oaf Suoh had drugged Haruhi into his stupid club's antics, but getting to spend time with her when she looked happy, made Kyoya uncharacteristically lightheaded. Sending Suoh thank you flowers even crossed his mind for a moment, before he scoffed at the ridiculous notion.

"Kyoya-senpai," she noticed him and waving her hands, ran down the stairs. "Thank you for coming to take me."

Kyoya hurried to take her small suitcase. "Good morning, Haruhi," he greeted politely. "Let me take that for you."

"Oh," she looked at her suitcase. "It isn't heavy at all."

He smiled gently but then grabbed the suitcase and dragged to the car. "It doesn't need to be heavy for me to help you."

She flashed pink for some reason, and Kyoya felt his heart pound faster. The gentle coloring of her face made him feel so strange. Did he do something to fluster her or embarrass her?

"Um..." she mumbled awkwardly and looked away when he turned his attention to her. "I am not used to people helping me with simple things like that," she confessed.

Kyoya looked at her softly and found himself a little too happy. She was such a sweet girl. And he liked her honesty and her complete lack of awareness of what kind of emotions she incited in him. They walked to the car parked near the apartment complex, and Kyoya's bodyguard hurried to take her suitcase and put it in the luggage compartment.

"Renge-chan told me they all were already on the way," she suddenly said. "I think we will get there last. I hope she won't get upset."

"She won't," he smiled. "Did you warn your father that you won't be home for a few days?"

"Yes," she nodded. "He fussed over me and made a drama and then packed my suitcase."

Kyoya smiled and opened the door of the car for her. The bodyguard gave her a strange look, like he was seeing some sort of extraordinary thing happening and then took his own seat in the front of the car.

Haruhi thought she would be bored on the way to Okinawa, but she was very much occupied with the most interesting conversation she had ever had with Kyoya-senpai. He was so intelligent, and she found herself admiring him. She was so glad he insisted on coming with her. She liked Renge-chan, of course, but the redhead would have driven her crazy.

"Did you read the book I gave you?" he asked suddenly, leaning closer.

Haruhi didn't seem to notice the sudden proximity, because she didn't blush, like she would usually do, and shook her head.

"Not yet," she said. "I meant to bring it with me, but I know I wouldn't really get a chance here with the host club guys and Renge around, and that would also unfair to you, because you came here only because of me."

A short, almost self-deprecating chuckle left his throat. How ironic it was that she was so smart and understood people's motives and string of situations well enough to make assessments and come to a critically recognizable conclusion. And yet... Kyoya sighed... yet, he had meant to tell her that he liked her more than just a friend, and she just looked at him with her sweet, twinkly eyes and didn't understand a thing.

For God's sake, after they have kissed, and she didn't stop him, he thought they would not be whatever this was, because Kyoya wanted more.

She was so oblivious, it was painful for third the Ootori son's mental health. He resorted to childish means, by spelling out what he felt for her on a note and stuck it into a book that he gave her, and she didn't even read it. He wasn't used to talking about his feelings. If anything that was a thing he was discouraged to do as a child, and now he found himself incapable of opening his heart to anyone.

He didn't know if telling her he wanted more than a friendship wasn't enough, and it was the most he could do.

"It's alright," he sighed. "Read it once we go back and tell me your opinion on it. I will be waiting."

He hoped once she knew what he felt, they could sit down and talk about it in more detail. He wanted her also to have time and decide what she thought of his feelings in loneliness without any pressure or any embarrassment. Feelings and love were not Haruhi's specialties, either.

"Kyoya-sama," Tachibana's voice clicked in the passenger compartment. "We have reached the destination."

Nekozawa Umehito's family summerhouse was in a secluded corner, shaded with tall trees and beautiful flowery lawns. The staff was already waiting at the entrance, and they approached to take their luggage. Haruhi pouted cutely, and Kyoya's heart fluttered. She was reluctant to give her suitcase to someone else to carry. As always, Haruhi self-sufficiency was getting on her way.

"Everyone else has already gone to the beach," the head of the personnel told them, once they were inside the lavishly decorated foyer. "The maid will show you to your rooms."

Kyoya put his hand on her shoulder when he noticed how one of the security guards was eyeing Haruhi. She took it as a friendly gesture and put her own arm on Kyoya's shoulder. He gulped, because his body trembled in excitement.

"Wow," Haruhi exclaimed eyeing the spectacular decor and the ornamental architecture inside the summerhouse. "These looks like some kind of palace from those western movies. Rich people have weird tastes anyways. Are you by any chance living in one of these castles too?"

Kyoya's lips curled in amusement. If she thought, comfortably designed and quite minimalist summerhouse was a castle, she sure would be shocked to see whatever Ootori residence was, and the amusement vanished from his lips. What if she disliked him because of it? Because he was one of those _rich bastards_? She sure didn't like people showing off, but she didn't say anything about him in particular.

"Well, it's an old family house," he said, cleaning his throat, trying to choose his words wisely. "It's more on the traditional side."

Haruhi didn't answer, because the maid, who was guiding them, turned and politely pointed at their respective rooms. They were on opposing sides and Kyoya excused himself with a short sigh. And what was he expecting? He behaved like a brainless lovesick schoolboy. Oh, wait! He was a schoolboy. And wait a little more, because he was also very much lovesick. Thankfully, though, his brains were still in his head, and he intended to use them to deal with the problem of his lovesickness.

.

Okinawan sun was high in the blue sky and shone cheerfully, reflecting its bright light in the water. The sand was warm and soft against her bare feet. Haruhi walked towards the water on the shore that was waving back and forth like a petulant child, not deciding where to stay. Haruhi sat down and extended her feet close to the water. It was cold. Her toes curled, discontent of the contact with something wet and chilling.

She sighed and closed her eyes. It was surprisingly quiet even though she could see the host club and the guests screaming around, playing games with each other. Maybe coming here wasn't a bad idea after all. And Kyoya-senpai was here too. Her heart flipped in her chest when his image appeared in her head, and a cold shiver passed through her body, as if she had just jumped into the cold water in front of her.

Haruhi rubbed her knuckles and closing her eyes, fell backwards against the soft, faintly heated, sun-kissed sand. The tiny rocks of the sand served her as a cozy cushion, and she closed her eyes, gazing up into the sultry blue of the May sky. It wasn't very hot, and the tender breeze was sweeping through the water, and the sand and meekly caressing her skin. The bright light formed fluid colours in front of her closed eyes, and Haruhi started to mentally move the tiny dark spots in her vision, as a sort of a game she used to play when she was a child.

"You might get a headache if you stay under the bright sunlight," she heard Kyoya's voice and detected that practical tonality he used to insist on his indifference on the matter, but with a way of also saying I know I am giving you an advise, so be kind and follow it. Her lips curled to form a smile, and she lifted her head and turned to look at him.

He had sunglasses on to protect himself against the bright sunlight, and even though he was wearing shorts, unlike the other young men around the beach, he preferred to wear a lose shirt to make sure none of those mild radioactive waves would reach his body. It was hard to decide what kind of mood Kyoya had when she could see his silver eyes behind the prescription glasses, but now with sunglasses covering them, she felt like a person going blind in a color game.

"Oh, it's alright," she waved her hand and got up clumsily, her legs, seeped in warm sand. "The sun might be bright, but it isn't very hot. Would you like to join the others or sit here?"

Before he could answer, someone put his arm on her shoulder, and she jumped up startled.

"Oh, Haruhi," it was her classmate, Hitachin Kaoru. "I didn't realize it was you. Why are you standing here alone? Don't you want to join us and play with us?"

He looked at Kyoya and was a little startled, as if he didn't notice him standing there. He gave him a small bow. "I am sorry, Kyoya-senpai, I didn't realize it's you. I didn't know you would come as well."

Kyoya politely greeted him, but didn't say anything, although followed very closely the twin's mannerisms, and it didn't escape his attention how friendly he was with Haruhi.

"Why didn't you wear one of the swimsuits from the other day?" the twin asked, looking at Haruhi disapprovingly. "You looked good in them."

 _Swimsuits?_ Kyoya blinked and stared at the two of them in surprise.

"Oh, I left them in the host cub," she explained. "They were very pretty, so thank you, but they are expensive, and I wouldn't want to spoil them, besides I am not planning to swim, so there would be no need to wear one."

Kyoya stared at the Hitachin twin, trying to understand what kind of swimsuit business the two were talking about. He kept the polite smile on his face and thought his facial muscles would get strained soon if he had to pretend to be cheerful anymore. He couldn't smile with his mouth open, worried his fangs would scare the lights out of everyone, but he kind of wanted to do it for some reason now.

"Kaoru, we need your help," his brother called waving at him.

"Okay," he rolled his eyes, then turned to them smiled sweetly and talked to his twin mumbling something under his breath, " _Are they dating or something? He was staring at me, as if I was undressing his girlfriend._ "

"You really don't want to swim?" Kyoya asked when Kaoru walked away. "You don't have to sit here with me. You can go and have fun with others."

"No," she laughed. "I actually can't swim. I mean I don't know how to swim."

"I thought you knew, because your classmate suggested you were considering to wear a swimsuit," he said carefully, searching her features.

"Ah, Kaoru-kun?" Haruhi chuckled. "He made me wear bunch of them. He said he made them and wanted to see how they looked before he would show them to his mom. And I was in the host club then, helping Renge-chan. I had nothing better to do, so I agreed. He is kind of using me as a dummy for his fashion things."

Kyoya suppressed an eye roll. How could she just agree so easily? In Kyoya's eyes, it didn't sit well, but he was smart enough to keep his opinions to himself.

"You seem very close with the host club," he said with a smile instead.

"Well, I spent great deal of time there with Renge-chan," Haruhi explained in a matter of fact manner. "Besides, Tamaki-senpai drags me into their host club things as well. I mean he treats me like some kind of exotic animal, because I am a commoner and all."

"If you don't like anything, just tell me," Kyoya said in a tone that bordered between playful and dangerous. "I know how to deal with some _rich bastards_ , after all, I am one too."

Haruhi started to laugh wholeheartedly, and that made Kyoya smile as well, only this time really genuinely.

"Thank you, senpai," she said, brushing her curls back, as the wind was whipping them against her face. "They are not that bad."

Kyoya smiled at her, and Haruhi averted her gaze awkwardly, glancing around, searching as if for a place to ran away. "It's too sunny here," she said. "Maybe we should sit under the umbrella."

"Of course," Kyoya agreed.

Haruhi pressed her lips tightly into a line, and a low sigh died in her throat. Kyoya-senpai looked so cute. His silver eyes were hidden behind the dark sunglasses, but his cheekbones and the way his jaw was shaped made squirmy trembles shudder her insides. The feelings were so strange. She looked away when they sat down, because she thought she would say something strange, if she kept staring at his face.

There were couple of magazines and strange manga series thrown around under the large umbrellas that was set in the beach. Kyoya regarded them with mild interest, but his face wrinkled once he opened them. He quickly flipped through the pages and even found a short article on himself. Kyoya's eyes widened, and he snorted at the ridiculous nonsense they wrote about him. So, was this what people thought of him? His face heated, as his eyes continued to skim over the sentences written in the article.

"Kyoya-senpai, are you too hot?" Haruhi suddenly leaned forward. "Your face is red. Do you want to go to a different place?"

Kyoya shut the magazine and quickly put it behind him as far away from Haruhi as possible. He cleaned his throat and shook his head. "It's okay," he mumbled. "Don't worry about me. Do you want to join the others? Would you want to drink something? I could bring you something to drink."

"I am fine," she waved her hands with an awkward smile. "What are you reading? Can I see it?"

"NO!" Kyoya almost screamed. "I mean, it's nothing really. Here take this. It has nice drawings."

Haruhi stared at the extended book and took it with a smile. Kyoya sighed. Why was he acting so ridiculous? To shake off the sudden embarrassment, he took the very first thing in his sight and was determined to read it.

"Haru-chan," Houshakuji's annoyingly squeaking voice almost made his ears bleed.

The girl ran up to them excitedly and without taking notice of him, wrapped her hands around Haruhi. Haruhi fell backwards in surprise and shrieked with shock. Renge-chan was sprawled over the girl, but it appeared she didn't even realize. Haruhi grunted, trying to move away from the redhead's weight.

"Would you please move away, Houshakuji-san," Kyoya politely leaned forward and offered the girl his hand. "Fujioka-san will suffocate now."

Renge stared at Kyoya's hand, but didn't take it. She excitedly jumped away and pulled Haruhi into her embrace. "I am so happy, I am so happy, I am extremely excited," she repeated nonstop, making poor Haruhi shrank away and exhale air in despair.

"What has happened, Renge-chan?" the honor student finally managed to get the words out.

"I have kissed Mori," she screamed, inviting the attention of bystanders. She rubbed her palms and smiled craftily. "And he... he kissed me back."

Kyoya wrinkled his nose. What an absolute mess this girl was! He face-palmed. He didn't want to be there and listen to this conversation. Why was she going into so many details anyways, making his dear Haruhi so uncomfortable and embarrassed? Kyoya frowned and turned his head away. Kami-sama, he so wanted to be away.

"And now it's official," Renge screamed enthusiastically.

"I am glad you are happy," Haruhi said with a soft smile.

"I can't wait until we have sex," she said with a straight face, and Kyoya jumped up.

"That's it," he said displeased. "I had enough. We are going to join the others. It's impolite to sit here alone. Haruhi, get up."

Haruhi's face was as red as ripe tomatoes. When she looked at Kyoya, she blushed a few shades darker and looked away panicked.

"What got into you, Ootori?" Renge grumbled, annoyed.

Kyoya suppressed an eye roll and just smiled politely at the crazy second-year. "Aren't you supposed to be with your boyfriend?" he said in an amused tone. "He might get lonely."

Renge's eyes sparkled, and she sprang forth, sprinkling sand everything. Kyoya's words were like some kind of magical spell that put her in action. The third Ootori son's expression became neutral when the redhead left, and he turned to his disheveled friend. "Are you still alive?" he asked his voice laced with humor.

"Yes," Haruhi nodded quickly. "I am already used to Renge-chan's over-enthusiasm."

She looked away towards where the water was lining up and touching the land with its white bubbles. The foam was glistering with warm hues under the May sunlight. The birds were chirping in the distance, and the wind was joining to their mellow song. Haruhi felt like she had been invited to a strange nature orchestra's concert, and she smiled lightly. She wasn't this sentimental. The notions appeared a little out of place in her head.

"Hikaru and Kaoru came up with a fun game to play, would you join us?" Honey-senpai asked from where he was sitting with others.

"Yes, Kyoya-kun," Tamaki cheered up. "You must join us. And it wouldn't be fun without Haruhi. She is the unofficial member of the host club, right?"

"Yes, yes! Play with us," twins said simultaneously, grinning like maniacs.

Haruhi looked at Kyoya as if waiting for his reaction to give her response, and Kyoya leaned closer to see what these morons were up to. "And what kind of game are you planning to play?" he asked, crossing his arms, staring at the bottle in the sand between the gathered group. "Spin the bottle?"

Of course, these two had no other things to care about that to make up some stupid excuse to lock lips with girls.

"Well," Hikaru smiled cheekily. "Kind of, but not really. You don't want to play?"

"Where did they get this bottle?" Haruhi wrinkled her nose, staring at the huge bottle that had the world's sourest drink. Yuck!

"Alright," Kyoya sat down. "I might consider playing. What are the rules?"

Hikaru grinned. "So, first Renge-chan gives us notes and a pen and each of us can write some sort of task we want to performed during the game, like dancing, reciting a poem, anything than can be done now and here. Then we put all of those notes into this box. After that, we are spinning the bottle, but you have already guessed that part and unlike the original game where players have to kiss whoever fell on the other point of the bottle, we do whatever action is written on the note that the pointed person took out from the box."

"Hmm," Kyoya rubbed his chin and smiled. "I am in, but what happens when someone for whatever reason doesn't want to perform the task in the note?"

Twins looked at each other mischievously. "Then they have to take a sip from the bottle. It's not the tastiest thing in the world."

"That's agreeable," Kyoya nodded.

They all sat down in circle, and Haruhi found a little surprising that Renge-chan was sitting not next to her boyfriend, but in front of him, perhaps, hoping to fall on the other side of the bottle pointer. Small paper notes were distributed with pens, and Haruhi stared at the rose colored paper, wondering what to write down. She cautiously peeked at her senpai, wondering what he had planned to write in his paper.

She pressed the tip of the pen against her chin in contemplation and twisted her lips, pondering over what would be appropriate.

"Write something that will increase my chance of kissing Takashi," Renge winked at her like a cat ready to jump at its prey.

Haruhi gulped horrified, imagining what crazy things Renge and others might write in their notes. What if they made her do something inappropriate? Perhaps, she could just get away by drinking the sour drink. Why was she playing this game again? She rubbed her nose thoughtfully and pressed the tip of the pen on the paper. What to write!?

"Are we all done?" Kaoru-kun started to collect the the the pieces of papers, stretching forward the box.

"Umm," Haruhi panicked. "A second, please!"

She glanced at Kyoya. He had already written whatever he did and placed the paper in the box.

" _Draw your favorite animal,_ " she wrote and wrinkled her nose. It sounded so ridiculous, she was tempted to request another piece of paper. But before she could make up her mind, Renge snatched the paper and handed it to Kaoru, who just threw it into the box. He shook it very well and put in the center.

They sat in circle, and there were a few of the host club guests also participating. Her eyes met Ayanakoji, who grit her teeth and lifted her chin up.

"I will spin first," Tamaki said enthusiastically, pawing the bottle.

"Hey," Hikaru slapped his hand away. "I thought up this game, so I will go first."

Tamaki's eyes grew big, and he shifted his head away and pouted like a child. Kyoya raised his eyebrows at the infantile exchange and wondered how his life would be different if he agreed to be part of this absurd club when chairman's son was pestering him about, since the school started.

"Fine, you go first, boss," Hikaru crossed his arms, sitting back. Tamaki's face shone like a sun, and he turned back with a smile bigger than his lips could afford.

He grabbed the bottle and quickly span it. The liquid filled container revolved with fast speed and then slowed down. Tamaki's face slightly twitched in surprise when he realized that the other end of the bottle was pointing at Honey-senpai. The cute blonde grinned enthusiastically and grabbed the box. Renge's sweetheart―Mori-senpai, stared at his cousin and, judging from the expression on his face, prayed silently that he wouldn't have to witness his cousin and the chairman's son locking lips with each other.

"Piggyback ride!" Honey-senpai's eyes sparkled, and he lifted his arms, staring at the Host Club's prince expectantly.

Tamaki flicked his tongue over his dried lips and looked at his excited senpai. Honey-senpai did look very cute. "Okay," he said with a resolve in his voice.

He turned back and stretched his arms backwards as if inviting the host to climb up on his back.

The game continued and soon even more ridiculous things were performed by whoever span the bottle. Renge-chan practically shoved a cookie into the grinning Hikaru's mouth, who she was supposed to hand feed. Mori-senpai danced ballet for Haruhi, and Haruhi tried not to stare and look awkward. Kaoru braided Nekozawa's hair. Momoka drew a cat on Kimiko's arm. And then after a few more asinine things, it was Kyoya's turn to spin the bottle.

He tilted his head, smiled at Haruhi softly, for some reason, and then swiftly pushing the bottle into a rapid rotation. It was strange to see normally cold and detached Ootori Kyoya in such a setting, so most of the hosts and their guests were intrigued by his presence and were curious of what he would do if the game decided to present him with some interesting, compromising act.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the spinning bottle. When it finally slowed down and stopped, Haruhi's heart stopped as well. Kyoya smiled at her as if content that whatever he was supposed to do would be with her, as the bottle was pointing at her accusingly.

"Here take out," Kaoru-kun outstretched the box to her. She took it from her classmate's hand and didn't realize that her body was shaking. Why was she feeling so embarrassed and cautious? It wasn't like she was committing some sort of crime. They were just playing a silly game. She pawed the content of the box, trying to find a paper, but it seemed there weren't that many left. Finally, her fingers clasped around one, and she pulled out.

Senpai was staring at her with his icy-cold eyes, but there was warmth in his expression. Haruhi's stomach tingled, and she pressed her thighs closer to each other, as if to make the tingling suppressed. She didn't have this sorts of strange tingles and shivers in her body. It was strange. She cleaned her throat and opened the paper.

 _"KISS!"_ her eyes widened. She blinked. She blinked again. She recognized Renge's handwriting and glared at her, but the tingling sensation returned and made her knees feel mushy and weak.

"Um..." she stared at Kyoya and then at everyone who was giving her impatient looks.

"What is it?" Hikaru asked. "If you can't read the handwriting, maybe I can help. He leaned forward, trying to snatch away the paper from her hands, but Haruhi backed away and pressed the paper closer to her chest.

Oh, God! No! This was bad. She didn't even know how to say that word out loud and look into Kyoya-senpai's eyes. They were friends. Surely, he wouldn't think it was strange. They kissed once. Why should it be any different?

"It's a 'kiss'," she said quickly, turning the paper back and showing to anyone just in case they didn't understand what she mumbled.

She glanced at Kyoya. Their eyes met again, and she blushed. His silver orbs looked so remote, and he stared at her with such an intense expression.

"Oh, Wow!" Hikaru cheered, seeing the paper. "We are expecting something hot, Ootori-san!"

"I protest," Tamaki suddenly said, getting up. "Haruhi, I will protect your innocence like a knight."

He rose his arm up in the air for the dramatic effect. Haruhi gaped at him awkwardly and then looked back at Kyoya who seemed completely unaffected by Suoh's antics.

"Relax, tono," Hikaru pulled him down. "Don't spoil the game! Nobody protested when you kissed Megumi-senpai."

Megumi blushed, looking away flustered. "That was different," Tamaki stammered. "It was just a friendly peck on the cheek. But this..."

"Oh, are you afraid, Ootori-san is going to french kiss our errand boy?" Hikaru grinned. "Is that what is in your mind? You sure have a dirty mind, boss."

Since when was she an errand boy? Haruhi grimaced and didn't like how this conversation suddenly became about her.

"No!" Tamaki protested, deep blush coloring his cheeks.

"I will pass," Kyoya's irritated voice grabbed the hosts attention. "Give me the drink."

The silence settled over everyone. This was the first time in the game anyone decided to drink the sour drink instead of performing the action written on the paper. Kaoru took the plastic cup and opened the bottle. Haruhi sniffled quietly. So, he chose the drink over kissing her? That suddenly made her upset, and her heart clenched. He couldn't even drink and eat normal food, and now he agreed to drink that disgusting drink, just to avoid kissing her. Why was she this upset?

Kyoya took the cup and drunk the contents in a few gulps. His face didn't twist in disgust like most expected. He looked very calm and had a very controlled expression.

"Are you sure it was sour?" Hikaru snorted, grabbing the bottle and filling a bit of it into a cup to taste. When it touched his lips, he gagged and had an unsettling scowl on his face. "What the hell! Eww, this is disgusting."

They all stared at Kyoya's indifferent expression. Haruhi pressed her palms against the warm sand, trying to calm her fast-beating heart. Why was she so hurt? And she was thinking, it was going to be embarrassing, because he would kiss her. She felt sheepish for even expecting it. That one time they have kissed, she pushed it. Oh God! What he might have thought of her then!

The game continued for a few more rounds, but Haruhi didn't pay attention. She was sad and a little embarrassed. She didn't even dare to look at Kyoya.

After they played a few more times, and all the papers were gone, and the game was over, she walked away, trying to sort her thoughts out away from everyone, in silence.

Kyoya wanted to join her, but as he was about to walk after her, Suoh Tamaki got his hands around Kyoya's neck.

"Kyoya-kun," he sang his name in a stirring tone. "We are planning to make a campfire tonight at the beach. Would you like to join us?"

"I am afraid, Suoh-san, I am a little tired now," he tried to pry away the blonde's arms. "I apologize."

"Oh," Tamaki pouted. "It's alright. You might be upset to sit with us and see the love of your life in another man's arms."

Kyoya lifted his brows in surprise. What was this oaf speaking about?

"You know, Regne-chan and Mori-senpai," Tamaki clarified, seeing his quizzical expression. "I know that it was uncomfortable for you during the game when you were to kiss Haruhi-chan in front of Renge-chan. That's why I interfered. I couldn't have you to do something like that when your heart belongs to someone else."

Kyoya sighed. Again? How could he convince this guy that he had no feelings for Houshakuji and didn't ever wish to have? The only thing he felt when he saw what was written in that goddamn paper in Haruhi's hand was excitement, longing. He wanted to throw away all rationally and kiss her. Kiss her like his life depended on it, like it was the only thing keeping the world together.

He had struggled with himself, because he wanted to kiss her. But he didn't, because he wouldn't kiss her in front of so many people as if the kiss meant nothing and was just an act of a silly game. Haruhi deserved better. She deserved a gentle, soulful kiss. She deserved her moment to be only her own and not a spectacle for other's eyes. And that's why he preferred to drink that goddamn sickening drink. He preferred to endure the nausea and disgust, rather than cheapen her experience.

"I think it is pointless for me to say that I don't like Houshakuji-san," Kyoya shook his head with a low sigh. "You are very insistent in your belief that I have some sort of feelings for her."

"You don't need to hide things from me, Kyoya," Tamaki smiled at him fondly, with a knowing look in his eyes. "I can see _that ache_ in your eyes."

The lack of honorifics made Kyoya slightly startled, but as he was already used to Suoh's lack of care for conventions, he held back a grimace. That ache he spoke of perhaps existed, Kyoya couldn't deny it, but the blonde didn't know that it was directed towards a certain brunette. He just wanted to ran up to her, wrap his hands around her and tell her how he felt. Suoh would have done something like that if he were in love. Kyoya wrinkled his forehead, realizing he was starting to reason like the chairman's daft son.

"I didn't know you were an optometrist, Suoh-san," Kyoya joked, trying to divert the blonde's attention.

"Hey, tono," one of the twins interjected, pulling the blonde to his side. "What do you say about ordering some seafood? I am dying from hunger."

"What about the campfire," Tamaki fretted. "I thought you all wanted to sit around it. I was planning to sing."

"You still can sing," Hikaru pouted. "But not before my tummy stops singing."

"Fine," Tamaki shook his head. "Go talk to Umehito-senpai. Tell him we want seafood. We are staying in his family summerhouse tonight. I think the cooks can prepare something."

"How about you, Ootori-san?" Hikaru grinned, looking at him. "What do you want to eat?"

"Fancy tuna, maybe?" Kyoya smiled politely. _"Haruhi would like it definitely."_

He had different―special―food. And his food was somewhere around, walking in the beach, getting her feet sprinkled with sand particles, looking at the sky with her pretty doll-like eyes. The thought brought smile to his lips. Wait! Why was he feeling so giddy? He hoped he didn't look like an idiot imagining Haruhi in his head.

"That sounds nice," Hikaru saluted. "How about you, boss?"

Tamaki held his chin thoughtfully, as if he was making a life-changing decision.

Loud, spine-chilling scream grabbed their attention. Kyoya blinked. It was Houshakuji's voice. She didn't stop. Everyone turned their heads towards the cliff, shaped like a giant cat. Morinozula Takashi sprinted through the bushes towards the girl. The others followed quickly, trying to understand what happened to the girl.

She was crying and hysterically pointing to the edge of the cliff. Two others girls were standing next to her equally shocked. If Kyoya wasn't mistaken one of them was Momoka Kurakano. She was in the same class with Haruhi and Renge.

"What has happened?" Tamaki asked, looking around confused.

Renge was trying to get out of her boyfriends arms and ran towards the cliff. "Haruhi," she screamed. "Haruhi was pushed down."

Kyoya's head span around. He felt dizzy and sick. His knees felt weak. He wanted to throw up for some reason. Haruhi... water... cliff... she didn't know how to swim...

His attention snapped back. He needed to get to her. Suoh jumped into the water. He ran towards to cliff to follow and so the others, except Mori-senpai who was trying to calm Renge. He couldn't feel anything. The way his heart was beating. The way his body was responding was insane. His brain was clouded with fear, insane fear, he had never felt.

He couldn't see her? Where was she? He jumped up to breathe? Hikaru came out a second later. They looked at each other and shook their heads. Taking a deep breath, they dived again. His body was trembling. What if they wouldn't find her? How could have this happened? Wasn't he supposed to look after her? Wasn't that the reason he came with her? He went deeper.

This was his fault. He had swore to himself that he would protect her. No! No! No! He didn't want to believe this. His lungs were burning, but he didn't want to go up without finding her. Haruhi meant so much more. She was much more than a person his heart fell for. She was all. His mind resisted. He wanted to undo the time to prevent this from ever happening.

He bolted upwards. Breathing harshly, gulping air hungrily.

"I have found her," Suoh's annoying scream for the first time in his life sounded so pleasant.

He swam towards him when he saw the girl in the blonde's arms. He had tears in his eyes. But no one could see them. The water was dripping down his face. A moment later the twin brothers came out of the water, breathless. "She is with me," Tamaki warned them, so they wouldn't dive back.

Honey-senpai ran forward with heavy blankets. "I have called the doctor," he said in a trembling voice. "Umehito went to speak with the security. Someone had broke in and attacked the girls. Haruhi had defended them, and they threw her down the cliff."

"Haruhi," Renge screamed, pushing her boyfriend away and running to the shore where they all were. "Haruhi? Is she alive?"

Kyoya came forward, trying to control his breathing, and pushed everyone away. He turned her head to the side. He lowered his head to her mouth, trying to feel her breathing against his face. Nothing. His body froze. He checked for her pulse. His fingers were shaking. She wasn't breathing. His heart almost stopped. He frantically leaned down and grabbed her face. "Haruhi," he called her desperately. "Please, respond back."

"Where is the doctor?" Tamaki panicked, getting up and looking at Honey-senpai pleadingly.

"This place is far from the city..." Honey-senpai mumbled in a low tone, pressing his lips together.

Kyoya rubbed his temples. He could do this. He knew what to do. He had seen this million times. Akito would laugh at him later on and tell him what Ootori he was, if he couldn't do this. He moved Haruhi on her back. He placed the heel of his hand in the center of her chest, then placed the other one on top of it for better pressure. He needed to push gently, measured and rhythmically. He started to perform the chest compression to everyone's surprise. His body was still shaking.

"What are you doing?" Tamaki tried to stop him, but his mind was hazy. He couldn't hear anything.

"Please, Haruhi," he cried, setting a rhythmical rate for the pushes, letting her chest raise and compressed again. He leaned down to check for her breathing. Nothing. He was desperate now. His hands were moving on their own.

"What are you doing?" Tamaki screamed. "You will break her ribs."

He didn't pay attention. He couldn't hear Suoh, nor anyone else for that matter. She wasn't breathing that was all in his head.

"Haruhi, please, open your eyes," he mumbled. "Don't leave me, please. I can't live without you..."

Everyone stared at the girl and Kyoya, despite feeling overwhelmed by what just happened. Tamaki's eyes was wide with shock, but the anxiety and fear was so overwhelming that all he did was blink rapidly. Honey-senpai took out his cellphone. "I will try again," he said in trembling voice.

Kyoya let go off the girl suddenly, titled his head backwards and lifted the chin up. He opened her mouth with his fingers and took a breath. Pinched her nose close, and their lips locked. Tears streamed from his eyes and at this point, his already dry face showed that he was crying. Blowing air into her lungs, heart compressions, he repeated the actions, as if he had fallen into a certain loop.

She choked out water and breathed. Kyoya's heart skipped a beat, and he started to laugh, not caring if anyone caught a sight of his long, sharp fangs. She looked disoriented, confused and dizzy. "Haruhi," Kyoya hugged her closer, breathing relieved.

Honey-senpai draped a large towel on both of them. Kyoya pulled it down to cover Haruhi. "Are you alright?" he murmured in a soft voice, his head close to her ear.

"K-kyoya," she murmured.

"Haruhi," Renge cried, running towards her and taking the girl into her arms, incidentally half-hugging Kyoya, who didn't let go of Haruhi and clung to her like a child. "I was so scared. I am so glad you are fine. Are you fine?"

"I..." she started to cough, still dizzy and disoriented. "I am fine."

"Tell me, Haruhi, are you martial arts master like Honey-senpai?" Tamaki suddenly spoke angrily. "How could you do that? All by yourself ? Why didn't you call for help? You are a girl, don't you understand that? Don't you understand how dangerous it is? You could have died."

"I didn't do anything bad," she frowned. "I have defended my friend. What it has to do with being a girl or a guy? I didn't have the time to think about it."

"Don't you understand your mistake?" Tamaki sighed frustrated. Everyone were silent. Kyoya instinctively pulled Haruhi closer and lowered his head to rest on her shoulder.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Haruhi declared. "And I am alive."

"I won't talk to you until your acknowledge your mistake," Tamaki said, crossing his arms.

Haruhi sighed, and then her tired body gave in, and she closed her eyes. "The doctor is here," Honey-senpai said, after responding to his phone.

"I will take her to the summerhouse," Renge got up, cleaning her nose and tears. "Mori, please carry Haruhi. I don't want her to be here."

The tall guy like a lost puppy complied with his girlfriend's command and leaned down to scoop Haruhi up. "She will be alright with me," Renge said, putting her hand on Kyoya's shoulder. He nodded politely. The redhead glared at Tamaki and left with Haruhi and Mori.

"Any news from the security?" Hikaru asked Honey-senpai when grim silenced settled.

"Nothing so far yet," Honey shook his head. "I will call Umehito to see what's new. He is trying to send the girls back to their hotels. Maybe that's why he didn't contact me yet."

"You had no right to speak to her like that," suddenly Kyoya's voice was heard. "We have almost lost her, and when she opened her eyes, you were screaming at her like it was her fault."

"I..." Tamaki felt guilty. "I didn't mean it like that. I was very worried, and I wanted her to understand, so she won't do something like that again."

"Something like what?" Kyoya questioned, getting up. "Living in a real world?"

"She knew that she was no match to fight those intruders, but she did anyways," Tamaki retorted. "She should have known better."

"You don't get to tell her what to do, Suoh-san," he said coldly. "And you don't get to yell at her."

"They are caught," Honey-senpai came back and waved his hand, not noticing the strange tension.

"I am going to kill those bastards," Hikaru said, walking away.

"I will come with you," Kaoru mumbled, running after his twin. _"It's getting too dangerous here with these two at each other's throats."_

A short pause followed and the two guys glared at each other. "You think you are doing her a favor?" Tamaki complained. "What about if next time she gets into something that can cost her life. I am worried about her. She is my..."

Kyoya narrowed his eyes. "...she is my friend and I care about her," Tamaki finished.

"A friend comforts and helps," Kyoya said irritated. "You started to yell at her the moment she opened her eyes like it was her fault. She isn't an idiot to just stick her head into trouble for no reason. She is very responsible and reasonable and what she did was brave."

Kyoya turned to leave. He couldn't stand there any longer and listen to Suoh's reasoning. Deep down he knew that he wouldn't have wanted Haruhi to interfere. He wanted her safe, and he would have preferred if she didn't help them directly and instead called for help. But that would no longer be Haruhi. She was Haruhi because she was brave and selfless and cared about others' well being.

"So, it was her after all," Suoh's voice stopped Kyoya in his tracks. He turned to face the blonde. "All this time, I thought you liked Renge-chan, but it was Haruhi, right?"

"Yes," he said cooly.

.

Haruhi tried to move up and sit, leaning her back against the soft, plush cushions.

"Careful," Renge said, running forward to help her sit.

She pulled upwards the pillows and allowed Haruhi to lie against them. "How are you feeling? Do you want something to drink or eat? I can bring you anything. God, I was so scared, Haruhi. I was so scared. We all were scared."

She started to sob and wrapped her hands around Haruhi's waist, her head lowering to rest on the brunette's lap. Haruhi tentatively patted the girl's head, trying to sooth her. The door suddenly swung open, and Mori-senpai's head peeked in. "I am alright," Renge cried. "Just emotional as Haruhi woke up."

Mori nodded and closed the door back. Renge laughed through her tears. "He is guarding the door, as if those bastards are going to come back."

Haruhi smiled at Renge and brushed back her tears. "I am fine," she told her friend. "Don't cry. It's all over anyways."

"Oh, God," Renge tightened her embrace. "You weren't breathing when Tamaki took you out of the water. I thought... I thought..."

A new wave of sobs erupted, shaking the redhead's body. She clung to Haruhi like a koala bear to a tree. "If not for that Ootori guy, you... you..."

Haruhi tenderly stroked Renge's back, rubbing gently in a soothing circle. When she had opened her eyes, she was in Kyoya-senpai's arms, and the rest of the guys were around them. She didn't remember anything after being thrown into the water. She didn't even remember herself being scared. It was strange. It was like she had been asleep and had just woken up to know that something bad had happened to her while she was slumbering.

She was upset when she left after the game was over. She couldn't explain why she felt so sad, that Kyoya-senpai chose a disgusting drink over a small kiss with her. It wasn't like they were... they were... Haruhi's mind tried to find an appropriate term.

"He... he was scared too," she hiccuped. "He was trying to save you so frantically. I was so surprised. I think he was surprised too, and so were the others."

"He was trying to save me?" she shifted in the bed, trying to sit up more cozily.

Renge-chan nodded. "You two are friends?" she asked, lifting her head to look at Haruhi. "You even came together. And he seems to care about you. I have never seen him like that."

"I guess we are friends," Haruhi admitted with a small smile.

"You scared me so much. You shouldn't have attacked those morons. How could you put your life at risk just like that?"

"But you were in danger too, and I just didn't have the luxury of time to think about it," the doll-eyed commoner confessed honestly. "You are my friend, Renge-chan, and I was more worried at that moment about you."

"Aww," the redhead snuggled closer. "I will make sure Mori beats those morons to death. He should smash their heads with that kendo stick of his."

"Shinai," Haruhi provided with a smile.

"Yes, that thing," Renge agreed, waving her hands in the air. "Even I want to grab one and give them a good beating. How did they even get in? This is a private beach with a good security. These things happen to you so often, I think we need to find a boyfriend for you to keep an eye on you, so nobody would attack you anymore. You get hurt all the time."

Haruhi smiled and shook her head. "I am fine," she protested, raising her arms to show she was alright. "See!"

Renge cleaned her throat, narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but didn't say anything. "Are you hungry?" she asked instead. "We are going to have a dinner soon. Maybe, you will feel better if you eat. I want to put today's nightmare behind our backs."

Food sounded good, so Haruhi nodded eagerly. There was no time in her life when food sounded bad.

"I will get you your clothes then," Renge said getting up."I have put whatever you had on you in the laundry basket. The maids will wash it, although, your shirt was thorn, and I don't think you can wear it again."

When Renge disappeared behind the small door to search for a clothing from her suitcase, Haruhi pressed her palms against the soft blanket and tried to move. Her body was tired. There were reddening bruises on her wrists, where those morons had gripped her. She caressed the sore spots and whimpered when it stung. Her back felt heavy, as if something very hard had smashed against her bones an hour ago.

She stepped out of the bed, her bare feet hitting the cold, polished oak floor, and walked towards the room, where Renge had gone. She had some sort of shirt on her, she guessed it was a nightgown, and maybe Renge had dressed her into it while she was unconscious. She was a little uncomfortable at the thought that she caused so much fuss over herself, worrying everyone and spoiling the trip, but what was done, that was done. Even if she thought long about it, she wouldn't be able to change anything.

"Here, this dress would be great on you," Renge screamed, turning to face Haruhi. "I didn't know you wore this kind of clothing."

Haruhi stared at the pink dress with lush ruffles around the chest cut and the hems and blinked shocked. Her father didn't! Oh no! That's why he was so smug after he packed her suitcase. He knew that she hated all of these frilly dresses that were uncomfortable, and yet bought these things for her, and now she was forced to wear it.

"My dad apparently wanted to embarrass me," she sighed, grabbing the dress.

"What's there to embarrass!" Renge clapped. "It is such a cute dress. You will look absolutely perfect in it, and if the company today were better, I would even say you wouldn't leave Okinawa single. But none of these morons deserve you!"

Not leaving Okinawa single? Haruhi blushed thinking about it for a moment, and Kyoya-senpai slipped into her mind for some reason. Ugh, this was silly! Renge's crazy blabbering was getting to her. She shook her head and turned away to put the dress on. Renge helped her to fasten all the buttons on the back, and when she looked at herself in the mirror, she felt strange.

Her shoulder-length hair, that had grown during the months, was slightly wet and wavy at the ends, and her glasses were gone. Too bad she would need to get either a new pair, or maybe it was time to get contact lenses. She had lost the previous pair and didn't buy a new one. Her grandpa's glasses were fine, and she just used those.

"You look so cute, Haruhi," Renge smiled, brushing her hair with a comb. "Now let's go to the dining room. I think it's time for the dinner."

.

Hikaru's foot landed on the guy's head, and he fell down on the ground, blood seeping from an open wound on the loser's head.

"How dare you!" the auburn-haired young man kicked the guy angrily. "I should just knock all of your teeth out."

Kaoru was beating up the other one, punching the poor moron on face and not letting him move at all. They both were super pissed. These assholes almost killed Haruhi. And she was their friend. They wouldn't allow anyone hurt her. Honey-senpai was standing nearby, monitoring these scums' punishment. If he got involved, they would have to order two coffins. Unfortunately, the third asshole had ran away, and the security was still searching for him.

"Kao-chan," Honey-senpai called in his sweet voice. "Our criminal needs attention on the left side as well. You have been hitting him only on the right side."

Kaoru nodded and pummeled his fist in the direction Honey-senpai so kindly recommended.

"Hikaru, I admire your enthusiasm," the cute host interfered. "But we still need them alive."

"These morons don't deserve any mercy," Hikaru spat.

"Yes, but at this point you are tenderizing him like some steak meat," Honey-senpai sighed and then chirped when noticed a certain dark-haired, silver-eyed young man walk their way. "Oh, Kyo-chan, I thought you would go to check on Haru-chan."

Kyoya stared at the bloody mess and covered his nose, disgusted. He had smelled the pungent stench of these two from far away. The heavy odor of this bitter, stale blood made him slightly dizzy and nauseous. It smelled like rotting eggs and animal excrement. He turned his head away and used a handkerchief to shield his nose glands from the abhorrent fetor.

"I would like to have a word with them," he said calmly. "That's why I am here."

The twins stopped for a second and gave him a look. It was as if they were trying to learn his intentions.

"That's enough, Hika-chan, Kao-chan," Honey-senpai suddenly walked up to them. "We need to go and see how Haru-chan is doing and find Tama-chan. He is upset, and I think you should help him."

"What about these two bastards?" Hikaru scowled.

"Leave them to Kyo-chan," the blonde smiled playfully.

* * *

 **I am sorry for the wait and as an apology, I have written this long chapter. It was a little longer initially, but I have decided to cut it here. So, I hope you like this chapter. As I said, even though this story is basically AU, I try to add the canon parts as well. And I couldn't just resist _the sun and the sea and the host club_ one. I mean this is the episode where the two have a moment. :D (Even if it wasn't the most romantic moment). I chose to write from this perspective, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. The next chapter is going to be intense anyways. Please leave me your opinions on the chapter. ** ❤️


End file.
